


Yu-Gi-Oh! Night of Orichalcos

by ChroniclerDL



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Gen, Seal of Orichalcos
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-16 04:21:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29326170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChroniclerDL/pseuds/ChroniclerDL
Summary: (Alternate Orichalcos arc!) Wounds of the soul birth deep pain. Yugi and his friends confront new enemies who wield an ancient power capable of rending hearts.
Kudos: 5





	1. The Seal of Orichalcos

Rapid knocking at night never heralded auspiciousness.

“Rebecca!?” Blood rushed into Yugi’s head as he yanked open the game store’s window glass door. The porchlight illuminated a preteen dressed in a pink suit jacket and green skirt as she panted on her knees. He stood on his toes and glanced over her blond winglike ponytails, but found no pursuers. “Are you okay?”

Rebecca hugged him. “I’ve been better.”

Yugi found no scratches on her half-rim glasses or freckled face. He let Rebecca inside his home and locked the door.

“What’s goin’ on?” A young man with blond hair that covered his forehead and neck emerged from a back room. “What’s dis racket past closin’ time?”

She placed her hands on her hips. “This ‘racket’ is important, you mutt!”

“Rebecca? Da crazy girl who pestered Gramps for his Blue-Eyes White Dragon card?”

“Joey, she looks troubled. What’s the emergency?”

Rebecca gripped the emerald-like pendant over her tie. “Grandpa was kidnapped.”

“Kidnapped!?”

“What!? By who?”

“Freaks who dressed like cultists surrounded us, but Grandpa created an opening and told me to run.”

“I’m thinkin’ Rare Hunters.”

“They focused on Grandpa instead of me, so they’re probably not interested in rare cards. Well, their boss had a green duel disk, but he looked more interested in cracking his knuckles.”

“Should we call da cops?”

“I ran by a pair who chewed gum and smirked like my problem didn’t concern them.”

Joey scratched his head.

“What could they possibly want with an archaeologist? Grandpa and I came to Japan because he planned to hold a seminar to discuss the history of Atlantis. And don’t you guys dare mock him just because he takes seriously a ‘mythical’ city!”

“Joey and I experienced stranger, so don’t worry.”

Rebecca looked at the golden upside-down pyramid pendant over Yugi’s school uniform. “I guess you’re right. Grandpa said you housed an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh, so you guys must’ve had a lot of adventures.”

“We promise to protect you.”

Joey punched his palm. “You can count on us. I’ll give’em a beatin’.”

She smiled. “Thank you.”

A motorcycle outside roared, followed by door knocks. “If you blokes don’t want to pay for a new door, then I suggest you open now.”

Rebecca stiffened. “He’s their boss.”

Joey opened the door a crack.

“Evening.” The visitor was a spiky brown-haired brawler equipped with a studded red vest, leather gauntlets, and oversized shoulder pads.

“It’s late. Make it snappy.”

The visitor looked through the door glass at Yugi. “Shorty with spiky red-black hair and blond bangs. Only one kid in the world who fits that description.”

Joey slammed the door, but the visitor wedged his foot in the frame. “Lookin’ for a fight?”

“Easy there. The name’s Valon. The King of Games lives here, right? I thought I’d stop by and say hello.”

“Yuge’s not meetin’ fans right now. Get lost, or I’ll make ya lost.”

“Violence is never the answer. And as I thought, an American is hiding here.”

Rebecca grabbed Yugi’s hand.

“Beat it, punk.”

“I’m just here to offer a trade. Hand over the Egyptian God cards, or the little lady never sees her old man again.”

Her grip tightened. “You want to die?”

“Leave her be,” said Yugi. “I’m the one you want; I’ll take you on.”

“As expected, the King of Games has guts. In that case, bring your duel disk to the tallest building inside the construction zone near Domino Hospital in one hour. The old man’s gonna receive a lot worse if you don’t show up with the Egyptian God cards.” He left, and his yellow Ducati 996 roared into the night.

“Dat jerk’s gone. What’s our game plan?”

“I’m accepting his challenge.”

“Good man, but I bet he’s got a whole bunch of friends waitin’ for us. If we’re duelin’, it’s probably with fists.”

“I don’t care,” said Rebecca. “I’m not abandoning Grandpa.”

“Fight night ain’t no place for girls.”

“But it really might be with cards. If so, then I’m a lot more help than you.” She stuck out her tongue. “I’m the American Champ, after all.”

“And still just as cocky as Bandit Keith. Why are American Champs always dis arrogant?”

“I’m fine with her coming. In fact, we should probably bring the whole gang. This isn’t something we should do alone.”

Joey threw on a dirty and scratched denim jacket over his t-shirt. He also grabbed three blue-and-white machine disks, with arm blades attached that featured card-sized slots, the KaibaCorp standard duel disks. “At least I can duel AND fight.”

Yugi called his friends, then walked with Joey and Rebecca to the meetup point. A young man and young lady waved as they met underneath a lamppost.

“Hey guys,” said the young lady. “Hey Rebecca.”

“Hey Téa,” said Yugi. His heart thumped for the young lady with shoulder-length brown hair. She wore a teal tank top underneath a yellow jacket, and shorts.

“Tristan!” Joey locked hands with the young man dressed in a brown suede jacket. “Ready for da thriller?”

“Always.”

Rebecca folded her arms and looked at Tristan’s flat top pompadour. “Tristan at least looks like a delinquent, so I feel safe if we need him to fight…but why are we bringing Téa?”

Téa sent her a hostile smile. “Oh, you want to start a fight?”

Yugi hoped for those two to find something in common. “Téa’s our friend. Whatever we do, we’ll do it better when she’s here.”

Rebecca rolled her eyes and shrugged.

When they approached the construction site, they encountered a hooded man in brown robes with a goatee. On his arm was a runed green duel disk with its card slots on a scythe-like blade. He also wore a green pendant similar to Rebecca’s. Three little pale wisps circled his pendant. When Yugi blinked, the wisps were gone. Were they real, or did he imagine the phantoms?

“Is dis one of da freaks, Rebecca?”

“Looks like one.”

He unhooded himself to reveal a face with receding black hair and a monocle. “Welcome. We’ve been expecting you. My name is Gurimo.”

“Where’s Grandpa, three-eyes?”

“First, the Egyptian God cards.”

“Here,” said Yugi. “But remember, only the chosen ones can wield them.”

“Hmph.” Gurimo snatched the cards out of Yugi’s hands and grinned. “It’s one thing to imagine them. It’s another to finally hold them.”

“Drool later. Where’s Grandpa?”

His grin dampened. “On the roof. Follow me.”

They followed Gurimo to the rooftop. Several floodlights on the roof corners shone on a wooden platform raised half a meter, where Valon stood at the center with his arms folded.

“Look who decided to show up.”

“I’m getting really tired of asking this question. Where’s Grandpa?”

Gurimo walked to a tarp. He pulled it open to reveal an unconscious old man in a beige suit and red bowtie, bloodied, cut, and bruised. A chill ran through Yugi’s body.

Rebecca gasped with the others. “What did you freaks do to him!?”

“Not to worry,” said Gurimo. “I only had him beaten to an inch of his life.”

“Bastard!”

A deep, gruff voice came from the opposite side of the roof. “She’s right.”

Through a bit of lighting, Yugi saw a bulky commando with short blond hair and sideburns, as if ripped from a shooter game. He wore a long trench coat over his tactical clothes, and he also had a green duel disk.

“What is the meaning of this, Gurimo? We only needed to capture him.”

“I’m not beholden to your master. And how dare you question your superior. In case you’ve forgotten, your master’s order was to follow my orders until we capture the Pharaoh’s soul.”

“What’s going on?” asked Yugi. “You guys know about the Pharaoh?”

Valon smirked. “Who’d you think stole the Tablet of Lost Memories earlier this week?”

Yugi narrowed his eyes. He must be the thief who stole the Tablet after Battle City. Did they know that the Pharaoh needed it to regain his memories and unlock his full potential?

“But while I’m putting in hard work, Rafael was sucking his thumb. This softie is such a goody-goody; I still wonder why he’s even involved in this sort of business.”

“Him?” asked Tristan. “But he looks like a tough customer.”

“I’d like to punch Rafael myself, but we’re not here for a fistfight. We’re here to duel.”

“Knock it off,” said Rebecca. “I don’t have time for games!”

“But you will,” said Gurimo. He pressed his boot on her grandfather’s chest. “If you want him back alive, you’ll have to win a duel. Refuse, and I’ll just kick him off the roof.”

When Rebecca took a step, Téa gripped the girl’s shoulder. She stopped, but Joey and Tristan approached him.

Tristan cracked his knuckle. “Any funny business, and you might be kicked off the roof.”

“Move dat boot. Now.”

“Sure, I’ll bestow a favor. Oh, and Valon, call our servant for the Pharaoh to fight. It’s been a while since I watched a decent battle between a pair of gladiators.”

Valon whistled. A young Chinese woman who reminded Yugi of a certain street fighter, but with a couple strands of loose long hair and dressed in a short yellow qipao, entered with her head hung. She also had a pair of emerald-like earrings and a green duel disk.

Rebecca blinked. “Vivian? They really have the bun-head?”

Vivian raised her head. “The American shrimp? And…Yugi Muto!?”

Valon smiled. “You should be happy. This is your chance to prove that losing your title of Chinese Champ was just a fluke.”

Rebecca looked at her grandfather. “Are you really working for these guys?”

“Of course not! I’d never wish for that, even on you!” Vivian stared at her green duel disk. “Why did it come to this?”

Valon shrugged. “You know the score: either the old man or your friend.”

“Your friend?” asked Yugi. “Vivian, were you forced into this?”

“Yeah. And my friend is also your friend. I’m sure you guys remember Mai Valentine.”

“Mai!” Joey’s fear also reflected on his friends’ faces. “Is she okay?”

“She’s on the run. But I don’t want her to end up like the shrimp’s grandfather.”

“That’s right,” said Valon. “I watched Mai flee like a frightened doe.”

“Let’s trust Mai,” said Joey. “She can defend herself, and even turn ta us for help if she wants. We shouldn’t need ta fight, so tell dem ta send someone else if dey want a duel.”

“I know she’s capable, but you guys don’t understand. Mai and I saw firsthand the horrors they can inflict.” Vivian tapped one of her earrings. “And when we duel, even our lives could be on the line. Yugi, please don’t force this duel.”

“I’m sorry. We can’t retreat.”

“If you can’t…” Vivian stepped on the wooden platform and looked at Rebecca. “I’m sorry. I won’t ask you to forgive me.”

Rebecca stared at the floor. “Idiot.”

When Yugi stepped on the wooden platform, the Millennium Puzzle glowed. A warm power flooded his body as his stature increased. His school uniform fluttered like a cape over his black sleeveless shirt.

“A question,” said the Pharaoh. “Would Mai approve of this duel?”

“No, and I don’t like it either. But I swore to protect her.”

“Very well. If you feel that strongly, I will face you head-on.”

““Duel!””

~*~*~*~*~

Both sides drew their five cards to start the duel. How about a wall monster to protect the Pharaoh’s 4000LP? “I’ll start. I summon Giant Soldier of Stone (2000DEF). With that, I end my turn.” A boulder, made of granite and fashioned in the shape of a samurai, crouched.

“My turn, draw!” Vivian flinched as Valon snickered.

A feeling heavier than his monster weighed in the Pharaoh’s stomach. “What’s wrong?”

“Luck or magic,” said Valon. “Whatever the reason, always bet on that card to appear. Hey Vivian, with so much at stake, you should be grateful that you’re the one who gets to play it. You’ll need every bit of help to defeat the King of Games.”

Vivian took a deep breath, then raised her card in the air. The card she revealed, written in an unknown language, depicted a green unicursal hexagram encircled by a pair of circles, inscribed with runes like the green duel disks. “I’m so sorry. I activate the Seal of Orichalcos!” Her green earrings glowed for a second before a pillar of green light enveloped Vivian. The pillar expanded past the Pharaoh, then dimmed to reveal the Seal of Orichalcos on the wooden platform.

The Pharaoh’s Millennium Puzzle glowed. KaibaCorp’s Solid Vision technology in the duel disks rendered the fantasy of Duel Monsters into physical reality, but it never drew this reaction. “What’s this?”

“Our trademark,” said Gurimo. “We hacked the Seal of Orichalcos into Duel Monsters as something you activate like a normal Spell card. However, its power is anything but normal; it’s the trigger for a shadow game where the duelists must wager their souls.”

“No way!” Joey rushed to the Seal of Orichalcos. He collided face-first into the wall of light that shone on its edge. A few punches on the Orichalcos wall accomplished nothing. He grimaced and shook his hand. “Are we seriously dealin’ with ancient mojo again?”

“Enough of this!” said the Pharaoh. He channeled his will into the Millennium Puzzle. But when the Seal of Orichalcos glowed, the Millennium Puzzle dimmed. “What!?”

Gurimo tapped his pendant. “Even if you’re the Pharaoh with the power of a Millennium Item, nothing outclasses Orichalcos magic.”

Téa scratched her chin. “Orichalcos? I thought I read somewhere that it was a mythical stone from Atlantis.”

Rebecca held her pendant. “It was rumored to be a miraculous material that shaped Atlantis into the greatest city-state of the ancient world about ten millennia ago. But the greed of the Atlanteans caused a civil war, the Orichalcos War, where they destroyed each other for control of the Orichalcos supply.”

“Oh, like how power corrupts?”

Gurimo pulled a card from inside his robe. His pendant glowed as he illuminated the card. “Tell me something, little girl. What do you make of this?”

“Isn’t that…Grandpa’s face? What’s going on, three-eyes?”

Her grandfather’s face was trapped behind the Seal of Orichalcos. The Pharaoh gritted his teeth as he recalled when Pegasus used soul prison cards.

“The Atlantean nobility created the Seal of Orichalcos as a flexible tool to reinforce their power. For example, it can strengthen the user and tame wild spirits. Or if you subdue someone, such as by defeating them in a duel or breaking their body, you can imprison their soul.”

“I’ll kill you!” Rebecca broke from the group, but Téa grabbed her arm. The pair struggled. “Let go!”

“I know you’re angry, but he’s dangerous!”

“Shut up, mom!” Rebecca squirmed until Tristan grabbed her other arm. She glared at Gurimo. “What did Grandpa ever do to you!?”

“Who cares?” asked Vivian. “If someone is in the way, then you show them no mercy.”

Her voice sent a shiver on the Pharaoh’s soul. When he returned his attention to the field, the Seal of Orichalcos branded her forehead.

Téa scowled at Vivian. “What’s your problem? Even if you don’t like Rebecca, I thought you sympathized with her.”

“Nobody has time to worry about others. Put yourself first and let the others rot.”

“Yikes,” said Joey. “Since when did Viv become so hostile?”

“Maybe the card?” asked Tristan.

“That’s right,” said Valon. “Nothing amps you quite like the Seal of Orichalcos. And it’s quite the powerup. The Seal of Orichalcos can’t be negated, and it brands the user’s monsters to boost their power by 500ATK for the rest of the duel.”

“I summon Master Kyonshee (1750ATK). Attack!” A pale man, dressed in a Chinese tunic with a paper seal that covered his face, jumped from the shadows. The Seal of Orichalcos branded the paper (1750~2250ATK). With one chop on the Giant Soldier of Stone, the Pharaoh’s monster split and crumbled. “I end my turn.”

“Dat's crazy. It boosted her monster for free!”

“It's not hopeless,” said Tristan. “The Pharaoh has this under control. He always does.”

Even so, the Pharaoh sweated. If he relied on a monster with lower ATK for his own assault, Master Kyonshee would just defeat it and trample over his LP. “My turn, draw. I summon Obnoxious Celtic Guardian (1200DEF).” An elf swordsman in green armor and a purple cape crouched in front of the Pharaoh.

“Pathetic,” said Vivian. “How can a weaker monster do better?”

“Obnoxious Celtic Guardian is a defensive master who can’t be defeated by monsters with 1900ATK or more. And thanks to your Seal of Orichalcos, you’ll have a hard time finding a capable monster. I end my turn.”

“Nice!” said Joey. “Dat should stall her kung-fu chopper.”

Vivian smirked. “As if I can be stopped by such a petty ability. My turn, draw. I summon Gyaku-Gire Panda (800~1300ATK). And because of his ability, he gets 500ATK angrier for each monster on your side of the field (1300~1800ATK). Gyaku-Gire Panda, attack!”

A branded panda roared when he saw the elf swordsman. Obnoxious Celtic Guardian guarded with his sword, but Gyaku-Gire Panda swiped it away, then hurled the elf swordsman off the platform (4000~3400LP).

“But my Obnoxious Celtic Guardian was defending. Why did I lose LP?”

“Gyaku-Gire Panda’s attack dealt piercing damage through wall monsters. He’ll calm down for now because you have no monsters (1800~1300ATK). But more importantly, you’re wide open. Master Kyonshee, direct attack!” Master Kyonshee threw a punch to the gut; the Pharaoh staggered (3400~1150LP). “I end my turn. Who knew the King of Games was so feeble?”

The Pharaoh regained his balance. “What happened to protecting Mai?”

Vivian sneered at Joey. “She can defend herself, right?”

Joey clenched his fist. “Why you…”

“I’m done protecting others at the expense of myself. In fact, I’d resent her more, were it not for this chance to seize the crown for myself.”

“My turn. Draw! I set the card I drew and summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior (1800DEF).” When pink rocks and magnets assembled themselves into a little warrior, Gyaku-Gire Panda growled at the new monster (1300~1800ATK). The Pharaoh glanced at his facedown Quick-Play Spell. He could have activated it whenever he wanted on his turn, but once set, the Pharaoh could also spring it like a Trap once Vivian’s turn started. “I end my turn.”

“Time to dethrone you. My turn, draw. Master Kyonshee, attack!”

“I activate my facedown Quick-Play Spell, Soul Taker! By giving you 1000LP (4000~5000LP), I can perform a tribute using your monster.” Time to summon a high-level monster. “I tribute your Master Kyonshee and my Gamma the Magnet Warrior to summon Dark Magician (2500ATK)!”

Master Kyonshee and Gamma the Magnet Warrior glowed and merged together to transform into a straight-faced mage with long hair, purple robes, pointy purple cap, and a thin green staff.

“Aw yeah!” said Joey.

“Dark Magician!” said Tristan.

“Here’s his chance!” said Téa.

“Nice!” said Rebecca.

Vivian wagged her finger. “You’ll need more than Dark Magician to stop me. I end my assault this turn, but I can still activate Luminous Clouds to do a tribute of my own. By tributing Gyaku-Gire Panda, I can summon Dragon Lady (2500~3000ATK) from my hand or deck. That ends my turn.” A dual-wielding branded samurai drew her swords.

“Then it’s my turn. Draw! I activate Swords of Revealing Light to seal your attacks for three turns.” Golden swords fenced Dragon Lady.

“You meant one turn, right? My turn, draw. I activate Dragon Lady’s special ability. She can destroy all Spells and Traps you control in exchange for her attack this turn. And I combo her ability by activating the Quick-Play Spell, Mystical Eruption. Whenever a Spell or Trap is destroyed, I can activate this to deal damage.” One swing from Dragon Lady blew a gust of wind that shattered the swords and slammed the Pharaoh against the Orichalcos wall (1150~150LP).

“I won’t be defeated here!”

“Dream on. I end my turn.”

“My turn. Draw! I activate Polymerization! By fusing Dark Magician on the field and Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight in my hand, I can create Dark Cavalry (2800ATK)!” They fused into Dark Magician mounted on a purple horse with a green lance in hand.

“He’s too weak.”

In the Graveyards for both players, where duelists sent their spent cards, the Pharaoh counted six Spells. “Dark Cavalry gains 100ATK for each Spell and Trap on the field and in the Graveyard (2800~3400ATK).”

“What!?”

“Attack!” Dark Cavalry galloped towards Dragon Lady and thrust his lance. Dragon Lady blocked with her swords, but the thrust unleased a blast of dark magic that disintegrated her (5000LP~4600LP).

“Now we’re cookin’!” said Joey.

“That ends my turn.”

“My turn, draw. It’s too early to celebrate. I activate the Quick-Play Spell I drew, Shrink. I can halve Dark Cavalry’s ATK.”

“Not so fast!” said the Pharaoh. If Vivian had no need for Equip Spells, then the Pharaoh had no need to snag them with the Trap, Collected Power. “Dark Cavalry has another special ability. Whenever a targeting effect activates, I can discard a card to negate it. And not only is Shrink negated, our cards will boost Dark Cavalry (3400~3600ATK).”

“I summon Kung Fu Nyan Nyan (1700~2200ATK).” A red-haired branded martial artist, who wore a pink qipao and green sash with her hair in two buns, took a stance. “I also activate Cultivation. If my monsters don’t attack or activate their effects this turn, then they gain ATK equal to another monster in my Graveyard, once I pay 500LP (4600~4100LP). Naturally, I boost Kung Fu Nyan Nyan with Dragon Lady.” The ghost of Dragon Lady poured into Kung Fu Nyan Nyan (2200~4700ATK).

“Oh no!”

“Your Dark Cavalry gets stronger (3600~3700ATK), but you won’t find a way to bridge the gap in time for my next attack. I end my turn.”

“C’mon!” said Joey.

“Take her down!” said Tristan.

“Just one draw!” said Téa.

“Don’t lose here!” said Rebecca.

“My turn.” The Pharaoh closed his eyes When a duelist trusted in the heart of the cards, they both grasped their destiny together. “Draw! I activate Card of Sanctity! We each draw until we have six cards.”

“No way,” said Vivian. “You managed to draw that at the end?”

“I drew Watapon by card effect, so I summon Watapon (300DEF) by its own effect. I tribute Watapon to summon Dark Magician Girl (2000ATK).” A smiling pink ball of cotton transformed into a young lady with long golden hair underneath a pointy cap. She wielded a big wand, a bigger smile, and wore a light-blue shoulder-less showgirl outfit with pink trim.

Téa pumped her arms. “With her on the field, I’m sure Yugi can pull a win out of his hat!”

“Next, I activate Necromancy. This brings back up to four monsters from your Graveyard in defense position on your field, so Gyaku-Gire Panda (1600DEF) and Master Kyonshee (1000DEF) return. And since I have two more Spells in the Graveyard, Dark Cavalry becomes even stronger (3700~3900ATK).”

“Not even 4000ATK,” said Vivian. “You’re still too far behind.”

“Dark Magician Girl attacks Gyaku-Gire Panda and Dark Cavalry attacks Master Kyonshee.” An electrical red orb gathered itself on the tip of her wand. She swung her wand and launched the orb at Gyaku-Gire Panda; the attack disintegrated Vivian’s monster. Meanwhile, a thrust from the lance unleashed a blast of dark magic that ripped through Master Kyonshee (4100~1200LP). “Just like Gyaku-Gire Panda, Dark Cavalry deals piercing damage. And for each monster destroyed that was revived by Necromancy, your Kung Fu Nyan Nyan loses 600ATK (4700~3500ATK).”

“Even though Dark Cavalry became the strongest, you’re out of attacks. With these six cards in my hand and a vulnerable Dark Magician Girl on your field, my win is guaranteed.”

“I’m not done. I activate the Quick-Play Spell, De-Fusion. This separates Dark Cavalry back into Dark Magician (2500ATK) and Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight (2300ATK).”

“Huh?”

“Finally, I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Spell Textbook. This forces me to discard all cards in my hand, if any.” No time for his Trap, Life Shaver, to discard cards from Vivian’s hand. “Now I draw a card, and if it’s a Spell, I can activate it immediately. Draw! I activate Brave Attack! This turn, I can designate the monsters that will combine their attacks. Dark Magician Girl already attacked, but Dark Magician and Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight can still attack together (4800ATK)!”

“4800ATK!?”

The knight on a purple horse thrust his lance. Kung Fu Nyan Nyan caught it with both hands, but had nothing available to defend against Dark Magician’s dark magic. An electrical black orb disintegrated her (1200~0LP).

The Seal of Orichalcos zapped Vivian with green bolts. She collapsed with a thud, unconscious. The monsters and the Seal of Orichalcos faded. Gurimo clapped.

“Good show, Pharaoh.” He stepped on the platform, then held up Vivian’s Orichalcos soul prison card. “I see why you’re the King of Games and she’s the Chinese Chump. As promised, you can have the little girl’s old man back.”

Rebecca raced to her grandfather and tried to rouse him. “You forgot to return his soul!”

“I only promised to return him alive. Strictly speaking, I did.”

The Pharaoh scowled. “Stop twisting words and make him whole.”

Tristan put up his fists. “I suggest you do as he says. Otherwise, we’ll make you.”

Joey joined him. “Doin’ dis da hard way or not?”

Gurimo brushed the air. “Relax. You people will get a chance soon enough. Rafael, Valon, we’re leaving.”

“Sure,” said Valon. He smirked at Joey. “You’re Joey, right? Ever wondered why my gang wasn’t here?”

“Maybe.”

Tristan nodded. “I thought we’d have a brawl.”

“While you blokes were idling here, they got down to business. By now, they should’ve captured your mum and sister.”

“You jokin’? First Mai, now my family?”

“If we throw enough traps your way, we’re bound to trip you up.”

“Leave’em alone and fight us like a man!”

“If you want them back, then visit Domino Pier Storehouse #3. I’ll give you an hour or two before I get bored and throw them to the fisherman’s daughter.” After Valon waved, a bright green light flashed. Gurimo, Valon, and Rafael were gone, and a motorcycle below roared into the distance.

“Guess we’re runnin’ for it.”

“Wait,” said Rebecca. “Isn’t this just that knucklehead’s easy way to create exhaustion and panic? Maybe he lied about capturing your family. Or maybe he even set a straight-up trap, just like he claimed.”

“Yeah? Got any brighter ideas?”

“Let’s take Vivian and Grandpa to the hospital first. After that, we can try some calls to assess our options.”


	2. Business Proposal

Poking traps better be worth the trip.

Business hours ended long ago. However, a brown-haired CEO stood at the glass door entrance to an office tower in Japan with a duel disk. When the collar on his studded white shoulder pad overcoat beeped, he pinched the collar tip. “Kaiba.”

“Big bro, I got some updates. Did you arrive at Schroeder Corp?”

“I’m outside. What is it, Mokuba?”

“We confirmed the hacker’s technique as European, but we’re fighting to keep pace. Their computer power exceeds Schroeder Corp’s estimated capacity; they must have partnered with someone else.”

Kaiba smirked. “It’s rare for a mouse to bare his teeth.”

“Oh, and we’ll need to hire a new CIO. Roland took the initiative to do some digging, and you won’t believe what he found.”

“Keep me posted.” He made a mental note to address his own concern that Roland stirred a hornet's nest, then pinched the tip again and walked inside. The clock on the pink wall was a minute before the hour.

“Good evening,” said the receptionist. “The president is on his way.”

An elevator dinged to open for a long pink-haired man, dressed in a purple suit. He wore a red cravat with a smooth green gem embedded. “Herr Kaiba, so good to see you. I hope ze night has been kind.”

“You said you possessed data related to the recent comas supposedly caused by the Solid Vision technology.” Solid Vision had the power to recreate human sensations through hologram interactivity. No company did more testing for anything than KaibaCorp did for Solid Vision’s safety. “Don’t waste my time.”

Zigfried waved his arm with the duel disk. “Shall we go to ze roof for a practical demonstration? I’ll make it quick.”

“Hmph.” They rode the elevator to the top floor, then took the stairs to a tiled flat rooftop with lighting on the edge and no witnesses. “Can we cut the veiled language? We’re both here just to kill each other.”

“I’m looking forward to it, Herr Kaiba.”

““Duel!””

“I promised you data, so here it is. I activate ze Seal of Orichalcos!” The green gem in his cravat glowed for a moment before he was surrounded by a pillar of green light. Kaiba observed as the pillar expanded past him. The Seal of Orichalcos branded Zigfried and the roof. “Unimpressed?”

“You went through a lot of trouble to hack in a card that doesn’t instantly win the game.”

“Do you already know how it works?”

“As if I’d come unprepared. Even with your unregistered duel disks and corruption of duel log data, you can’t fool me. Your little coma card is a basic powerup.”

“Not bad! Let’s continue, shall we? I summon Valkyrie Vierte (1400~1900ATK).” A branded lady with green hair and long bangs, equipped with light armor, short sword, and buckler, rode a white horse. “I set zis card and end my turn.”

“My turn, draw. I summon Lord of Dragons (1100DEF). And I activate Flute of Summoning Dragon to summon two Blue-Eyes White Dragons (2x 3000ATK) from my hand.” A caped man with dragon bones for armor whistled into a golden flute shaped like the head and neck of a dragon. Two Blue-Eyes White Dragons descended.

Zigfried gritted his teeth. “You’ll need more zen zat to defeat me.”

“Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack Valkyrie Vierte with White Lightning!”

Her little buckler offered no protection against an electrical white beam (4000~2900LP). “Ven Valkyrie Vierte is destroyed, I can summon anozer Valkyrie from my deck. How about Valkyrie Erda (2000~2500ATK)?” This high-level, long pink-haired, branded Valkyrie arrived with a larger horse and larger equipment with intricate designs.

“She’s no match for a Blue-Eyes White Dragon.”

“Ven summoned by ze effect of a Valkyrie card, your monsters lose 1000ATK, and any card of yours zat is destroyed gets banished from play instead, so long as Valkyrie Erda remains on ze field.” A white glow surrounded the Blue-Eyes White Dragons (2x 3000~2000ATK) and Lord of Dragons. “Looks like your attack is at an end.”

“I don’t think so. My other Blue-Eyes White Dragon will attack Valkyrie Erda!”

“Vat!?” Zigfried glanced at his set card. “You must have somezing. I activate my Trap, Wotan’s Judgment. I exchange one card from my hand with ze top card of my deck, zen shuffle ze deck to end your attacks zis turn.”

“I set a card and end my turn.”

“Hmm…I wonder if zat card was Shrink.”

Kaiba’s face betrayed nothing.

“If I’m right, zen I can’t carelessly attack your Blue-Eyes White Dragons. My turn, draw. Valkyrie Erda, attack Lord of Dragons!” Valkyrie Erda rode by and sliced him. “Valkyrie Erda’s effect banishes Lord of Dragons from ze game instead of sending him to ze Graveyard. I set zis card and end my turn.”

“My turn, draw. I summon Vorse Raider (1900~900ATK).” A brown, muscular, demon-like man with fangs and a studded armor vest wielded an axe. “Next, I activate Card of Demise. I draw until my hand has five cards, but I discard my hand in five turns. Finally, I switch the battle positions of my Blue-Eyes White Dragons (2x 2500DEF), set a card, and end my turn.”

“Defending, are we? My turn, draw. I summon Valkyrie Dritte (1000~1500ATK). Her abilities include adding a Valkyrie card from my deck to my hand and gaining 200ATK for each of your banished monsters (1500~1700ATK). I add Ride of the Valkyries to my hand.” The branded Valkyrie with short red hair rode to the field. “I wonder vat your new card might be. I could destroy Vorse Raider for massive damage…but it’s not impossible zat he’s a carrier of Crush Card Virus to infect my deck.”

“Are you attacking or not?”

“I end my turn.”

“Took long enough. My turn, draw. And thanks for summoning another monster. I activate Soul Exchange. This turn, I can tribute your monsters in exchange for not attacking. I summon my third Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000ATK)!”

Zigfried stared as another Blue-Eyes White Dragon roared at him from the sky.

“Valkyrie Erda and her strength suppression effect are gone. Vorse Raider returns to normal (900~1900ATK). I also switch the battle positions of my two Blue-Eyes White Dragons, who also return to normal (2x 2000~3000ATK). I end my turn, but it looks like you’re about to meet your end.”

“My end? Me?”

“You might’ve defeated some weaklings, but I’m in a league of my own. Who are you?”

“Huh?”

“Someone is targeting key industry leaders in Duel Monsters and Solid Vision technology. My company has determined that people such as Pegasus and the real Zigfried were attacked by one or more unregistered duelists. This isn’t a mere business rivalry.”

“Impressive detective work, Herr Kaiba. If you confirmed zat I’m a fake…then I see no reason to continue using the Orichalcos magic to disguise my voice and appearance.” Zigfried yanked the green stone off his cravat. His appearance shimmered into a young man with a red hair bob and outfitted with tactical clothes. “You can call me Alister. It’s been a long time, Kaiba.”

“I’ve never seen you before in my life.”

“But surely you heard of me. After all, I used to be part of your company’s payroll as a member of the secret KaibaCorp Black Ops Division.”

Kaiba’s eyes widened. “You’re the trash from the old regime under Gozaburo Kaiba.”

“Trash? But I did valuable work. Sabotage, kidnapping, assassination…whatever created conflict, created profit for KaibaCorp. Imagine how irked I was to see a pink slip, or even zero protection from multiple arrest warrants.”

“I’m sure I’ll hear from your labor union.”

“Come now, Kaiba. Even if KaibaCorp is no longer in the arms industry, there’s always a rival to eliminate. Aren’t you supposed to be a ruthless businessman?”

“Certainly.” Kaiba gestured to the Seal of Orichalcos. “I have no qualms with feeding you to your own trap. And once you’re down, I’ll find whoever hired you and put them six feet under with you.”

“Don’t look so far into the future that you forget to deal with the present. My turn, draw. And what a draw it is; I activate Heavy Storm to blow away every Spell and Trap on the field.” A gust of wind shattered Kaiba’s Shrink and Ring of Defense, along with Alister’s Fricka’s Mediation. “You actually prepared to negate card effect damage. But now that those cards are gone, I’ll take down your Blue-Eyes White Dragons.”

“You must be joking.”

“I activate Ride of the Valkyries. This lets me summon any and every Valkyrie monster in my hand, but also forces me to shuffle them into the deck at the end of my turn. The two cards in my hand are Valkyrie Erste (1600~2100ATK) and Valkyrie Zweite (1600~2100ATK).” Teal and long pink-haired branded Valkyries rode to the field. Valkyrie Zweite decapacitated a Blue-Eyes White Dragon in one stroke.

Kaiba gritted his teeth.

“When Valkyrie Zweite is summoned, she can destroy one monster on the field.”

“I still have two more Blue-Eyes White Dragons to annihilate you.”

“Not for long. I activate the Graveyard effect for Ride of the Valkyries. By banishing this card from the Graveyard, I can add Mischief of the Time Goddess from my deck to my hand. With this, I’m ready for my assault. Valkyrie Zweite, attack Vorse Raider!” Vorse Raider blocked with his sword against Valkyrie Zweite’s repeated slashes, but he struggled to keep his sword up. When his arm fell, one of her strokes sliced his head (4000~3800LP). “Valkyrie Erste, attack Blue-Eyes White Dragon!”

“Counterattack with White Lightning!”

“Remember how Valkyrie Zweite destroyed a Blue-Eyes White Dragon? Valkyrie Erste can banish a monster from your Graveyard to rewrite her own original ATK into a copy of the banished monster’s original ATK during either turn, but her strength returns to normal at the end of that turn. Naturally, I banish Blue-Eyes White Dragon (2100~3000ATK). Also, she still keeps her powerup from the Seal of Orichalcos (3000~3500ATK).” Valkyrie Erste deflected the beam with her shield, then decapacitated the second Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3800~3300LP). “I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Mischief of the Time Goddess. We skip forward through time to my next turn to relaunch my assault.”

"Ugh."

“By the way, since we skipped the end of my last turn, Valkyrie Erste missed her chance to restore her original ATK, and Ride of the Valkyries didn’t get to shuffle my Valkyries back into the deck. It’s a pity, but I guess I’ll have to make do with a 3500ATK monster. Valkyrie Erste, attack the third Blue-Eyes White Dragon!”

Kaiba’s pulse quickened when she decapacitated his third and final Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3300~2800LP).

“The rest of this duel will be easy. Valkyrie Zweite, direct attack!”

He blocked a heavy blow with his duel disk and grunted (2800~700LP).

“You can’t even defeat me with three Blue-Eyes White Dragons. I end my turn.”

“My turn, draw.” Kaiba wished he drew this card a turn earlier, but maybe he could use it later. “For now, I summon Peten the Dark Clown (1200DEF) and end my turn.”

A masked Pierrot with oversized clothes and a floppy red hat sat cross-legged and waggled his tongue at Alister.

“I’ll teach you to clown around with me. My turn, draw. Valkyrie Zweite, attack Peten the Dark Clown!”

Her attack split open his head. He continued to sit as if nothing happened, then faded and reappeared half a meter nearby. “When Peten the Dark Clown is destroyed, I can summon another copy from my deck (1200DEF).”

“Valkyrie Erste, attack!” She tried the same thing as her ally and got the same result. The clown finished the battle in his original spot (1200DEF). “You won’t be guarding for much longer. I end my turn. By the way, if you haven’t been keeping track, it’s almost time for the drawback from your Card of Demise to kick in. This is the last draw you’ll keep because you’ll discard your hand on the draw after.”

Kaiba closed his eyes. “My turn. Draw! I set two cards and tribute Peten the Dark Clown to summon Kaiser Glider (2400ATK).” Peten the Dark Clown waved as he transformed into a golden eagle-like dragon, about the size of a human.

“Valkyrie Erste can handle that easily.”

“I end my turn.”

“My turn, draw. Looks like-”

“I activate my Traps: Reverse Trap and Last Turn.”

“Huh?”

“When I have 1000LP or less, Last Turn forces us to send all cards in our hands and field, except for one monster I control of my choice, to the Graveyard. You’ll summon one monster from your deck, and they’ll battle. We take no LP damage; instead, the player with the last monster standing this turn wins the duel. And Reverse Trap reverses any gains or losses in stat changes. Your final monster will be weakened by your own Seal of Orichalcos!”

“Keep talking, wise guy. I summon Valkyrie Brunhilde (1800~1300ATK).” A long blue-haired Valkyrie with intricate equipment rode to the field. As the Seal of Orichalcos branded her, she fought to keep her eyes open. “As a lady of war, she becomes stronger for each monster you control.”

“Not this time; Reverse Trap weakens her (1300~800ATK). Kaiser Glider, put them out of their misery with Golden Burst.” Kaiser Glider spewed a thin stream of golden flames. Valkyrie Brunhilde blocked the attack with her shield. “My attack failed?”

“If a Valkyrie would be destroyed, I can reduce her stat by 1000DEF to prevent destruction.” Their monsters faded. The Seal of Orichalcos also faded from the field and Alister’s forehead. “Looks like I have to let you go.”

Steps echoed from the stairwell. Three security guards appeared. “Identify yourselves! We just got word that Zigfried was discovered in a janitor’s closet back in Europe. But he was just seen in Japan! We demand an explanation!”

“Kaiba, I’ll see you soon.” Alister raised his Orichalcos gem. Kaiba and the security guards covered their eyes as a bright green light flashed. When the light faded, Alister was gone and footsteps echoed from the stairwell.


	3. Nightmares Born of Bonds

“Lookin’ like a lost cause.” Joey shook his head. He dialed the number for his mother and sister on Téa’s cell phone again while Tristan looked over his shoulder in the hospital lobby. "I wish dey didn't live so far from Domino."

Rebecca returned. “The doctors didn’t find any life-threatening injuries. But ‘duel comas’ are a thing now; KaibaCorp apparently tracks the health of duelists.”

“Stoppin’ a lawsuit in its tracks.”

“Or rogue cards,” said Yugi. Kaiba must have noticed the Seal of Orichalcos.

Rebecca looked at the window. “I need some air.”

“Good idea,” said Téa. “We’re in for a rough night. I hope the air helps.”

“Thanks.” She left.

Yugi dialed home.

“Muto residence, may I help you?”

“Grandpa, it’s me.”

“Thank goodness you’re alright! Is everyone okay?”

Yugi frowned and explained the situation.

“Arthur…I'll have to drop by tomorrow morning. How is Rebecca?

“She stepped outside for a few minutes.”

“This must be tough on her. Poor thing; her parents passed, and now this. By the way, I have a worried-looking Mai Valentine next to me.”

“Mai’s at our house!?” Yugi’s friends shared his surprise.

“She drove by and asked if you or Joey were here. Would you all like to speak together?”

“Of course.”

Mai spoke. “Is it really you guys?”

“Mai!” said Joey.

“Boy, am I glad that you and your friends are safe. But you guys are at the hospital? Is this…because of a duel?”

“Yeah. Thugs forced Yuge and Viv into duelin’.”

“Vivian!?”

“She cared a lot about ya.”

“Is she okay?”

“Viv played dis card called da Seal of Orichalcos. When she lost, well…”

“Oh…”

“Any idea what’s goin’ on?” Several seconds of silence passed. “Mai?”

“I’m sorry, Joey, I spaced out for a moment. Unfortunately, the only thing I know is that this guy named Valon and his gang crashed a tournament that Vivian and I attended. Vivian…she forced them to make a deal that allowed me to escape.”

“Well, dat jerk’s still at it. Valon said he kidnapped my mom and sis, and holed himself at Domino Pier.”

“Seriously?”

“I need ya, Mai.”

“Are you crazy? I’m not going anywhere close to that maniac without an army.”

“Tristan and I can handle it. Just drive us and we’ll wing da rest.”

“Valon won’t just stand there and play cards.”

“I know.”

“Look, we’re all worried about your family. But what you’re proposing is for us to walk into a trap. Can you take responsibility if something happens?”

“Even cops are on da take. Who else will rescue my family?”

She sighed. “You’re such an imbecile. Well…if this is for the family of a friend, and you know the risk, I can at least drive you there. But nothing more.”

“Mai, thank you so much!”

“I’ll be there shortly.”

Tristan pumped his fist. “Every bit helps.”

“That’s great,” said Yugi.

"Let's tell Rebecca," said Téa. However, Rebecca was nowhere to be seen when Yugi and his friends went outside. Even the cell phone failed to reach her. "That's odd. Where is she?"

"She's probably nearby," said Yugi. He hoped. They walked a lap outside the hospital and called out, but got no response.

“I’m going to ask the security guard if he saw her.” Téa left.

A young woman with wavy golden hair arrived in a roofless blue Peugeot 206 CC and honked. This dark queen wore a purple leather vest over a black corset. “Hey Yugi. I’d love to chat, but Joey and Tristan need a ride. Tell Téa that I said hi.”

“Sorry Yuge. I hope ya find her.”

“We will. Go take care of your family.”

Mai sped off with Joey and Tristan. When Téa returned, she shook her head.

“Mai picked up the guys and said hi. No luck with Rebecca?”

“Worse. He said a girl who looked like Rebecca ran off towards Domino City Plaza, like she was trying to catch someone.”

And like she was trying to make Yugi sick to his stomach. “Alone at night? Even though the bad guys already targeted her grandpa?”

Téa groaned. “This twelve-year-old has the brains to get into a university to study computer science, but she lacks all common sense. Whatever. We better find her.”

~*~*~*~*~

When Rebecca stepped outside, she replayed the moment when Grandpa pushed a couple thugs and told her to flee. What else should she have done? Her mind thought of nothing better, but the guilt nagged.

A muscular man stood at the nearby stoplight and gazed at the night sky. Rafael? Her heartbeats competed with curiosity and fear. However, Rafael left as she approached.

“Wait!” she said. Rafael walked faster. “Creep.”

Rebecca glanced at the hospital; the last thing anyone wanted was for her to go missing. But Rafael disliked what his allies did to Grandpa, and they even called Rafael a softie. Maybe he was reasonable. If she asked, could they maybe strike a deal to return Grandpa? Then…should she catch Rafael? The street lighting lit his path to Domino City Plaza. When Rebecca sprinted after him, he sprinted too. Along the way, her cell phone buzzed: Téa? Not. Now.

He stopped at the Plaza water fountain, and so did Rebecca. She caught her breath as Rafael spoke. “You’re rather eager to approach someone with the power to take your soul.”

“Please return Grandpa’s soul. He didn’t do anything to you guys.”

Rafael pulled out her grandfather's Orichalcos soul prison card. “If you want to free his soul, then you only need to touch this card with your heart. However, I was ordered to use him as bait or a bargaining chip. It pains me to say this, but I cannot betray my comrades.”

She glared. “Spare me your sympathy. What do you want?”

“Gurimo expressed an interest in acquiring your pendant.”

“My pendant?”

“It’s a piece of pure Orichalcos. I dislike his spite, but Orichalcos is valuable.”

“A trade? Fine by me.”

“Not quite. I want to wager.”

“Why?”

“Your grandfather is familiar with Atlantean history. We prefer that he not drop hints.”

“You want to wager, but won’t you just flee when I win? Or do you plan to play the Seal of Orichalcos?”

“I pledge, on my honor as a duelist, to do neither.”

Did anything paint him as a liar? This hulk did opt for a duel instead of brute force. “I’ll play along, muscle-head. If nothing else, I’ll teach you what it means to face off against the American Champ.”

““Duel!””

“I’ll start,” said Rafael. He flipped two cards from his hand. “I reveal Guardian Kay’est and Rod of Silence in my hand, to summon Guardian Kay’est (1800DEF) and equip her with Rod of Silence (1800~2300DEF).”

“Guardians?” Rebecca's body lightened as a blue-scaled mermaid with turquoise long hair and a yellow camisole gripped a blue staff. “That trash deck against me?”

“My deck is not trash.”

“But it's hard to get the Guardian and their Equip Spell together. And even when you do, their abilities are lackluster.”

“I prefer to play the cards that have meaning to me. I end my turn.”

“Whatever. My turn, draw. If you like mermaids, then I'll summon one too. I summon Cure Mermaid (1500ATK).” A red-scaled mermaid with long golden hair and a pink princess dress waved at Guardian Kay'est. “Time to battle.”

“Guardian Kay’est can’t be targeted for attacks.”

“No complaints here; I’ll just target you instead. Cure Mermaid, direct attack!” Cure Mermaid fired a beam of water in the air. A waterfall then crashed on Rafael as he covered his head (4000~2500LP). “See? Your ‘Guardian’ Kay’est was useless.”

“I’d rather be the one taking the attack anyway.”

“Masochist. I set a card. Next, I activate the Continuous Spell, Toll. While it’s on the field, each attack costs 500LP. I end my turn.”

“My turn, draw. I reveal Guardian Ceal and Shooting Star Bow in my hand, to summon Guardian Ceal (1700ATK) and equip him with Shooting Star Bow (1700~700ATK).” A manlike green dragon in red knightly armor tugged on the strings of a red bow.

“You managed to summon another Guardian?”

“I activate Guardian Ceal’s ability to send Shooting Star Bow to the Graveyard (700~1700ATK) and destroy Cure Mermaid.” The Shooting Star Bow burned as Guardian Ceal fired an arrow. The arrow pierced Cure Mermaid and Shooting Star Bow disintegrated. “You’re wide open. I switch Guardian Kay’est’s battle position (1000ATK). I pay for Toll (2500~2000LP) so that Guardian Ceal can make a direct attack.”

“You really are a pea-brain. I activate my Trap, Wall of Disruption. Your ATK monsters lose 800ATK for each monster you control.” Guardian Ceal spat a fireball at Rebecca, but the space between them shimmered and absorbed the attack. The space shimmered again and spewed back a sea of flames. Guardian Ceal (1700~100ATK) and Guardian Kay’est (1000~0ATK) guarded. A few embers sparked at Rebecca’s feet (4000~3900LP). “Looks like you’re in for some major damage when I attack next turn.”

“You’ll never harm my Guardians. I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Monster Recovery. I shuffle my hand and the monsters on my field into my deck to draw five cards. I set a card. Next, I reveal Guardian Grarl and Gravity Axe in my hand, to summon Guardian Grarl (2500ATK) and equip him with Gravity Axe (2500~3000ATK).” Rafael’s Guardians faded. A double-bladed axe fell in front of a brown man-like dinosaur who wore a yellow vest and green pants.

“Ugh, I wish I could draw like that. Three Guardians in one duel has to be a record.”

“Rebecca!” Tea!

“Rebecca!” Yugi! Rebecca smiled.

Téa arrived first, caught her breath, then switched to her scowl. “We were worried sick! What’s gotten into you? Is this a duel? Isn’t that Rafael? What’s going on!?”

“Don’t mother me. FYI Téa, this guy was standing outside the hospital.”

“Indeed. I was tasked with keeping an eye on all of you.”

“Rebecca, this guy must have the Seal of Orichalcos. You need to drop out of this duel right now before you get hurt.”

“Hey mom, I need you to shut up. I know what I’m doing, so stay out of it!”

“If I was your mother, I’d smack you across the face. You disappeared without a word!”

Yugi caught up, but he took longer to catch his breath. “Sorry…glad Rebecca’s okay…”

Téa drew circles with her finger. “I don’t know if she’s okay in the head.”

Rebecca stuck out her tongue. “Look, muscle-head is offering to return Grandpa’s soul if I can beat him in a duel.”

“Did it not occur to you that this could’ve been a trap? He’s with the bad guys. You can’t take anything he said or did at face value.”

“Well, whatever. I’m the American Champ, this guy is playing a trash deck, and I’m winning. As if I’d retreat.”

“Forget about your title and pride for a second, and think about your own safety for once!”

“No, you forget it, Téa. I won’t stop until I win!”

Téa threw up her hands. “Do as you please. Anything you want to add, Yugi?”

He shook his head. “Please don’t get hurt.”

“Your friends have perfect timing. Since you’re all here, let me show you all something good.” Rafael revealed a blank copy of the Seal of Orichalcos, one without the green seal. “I activate the Seal of Orichalcos.”

Rebecca held her breath and her friends shouted as Rafael slid the card into his duel disk. However, his duel disk beeped twice. “What happened?”

“As you can see, this card does nothing for me because I lack all the prerequisites. I have a copy of the card and a fragment of the Orichalcos.” Rafael adjusted his necklace, which had an Orichalcos gem. “However, I lack the darkness in my heart.”

Rebecca blinked. “Darkness?”

“What’s going on?” asked Téa.

“I don’t know,” said Yugi. “But there’s something strange about this guy. Is he really unable to play the Seal of Orichalcos?”

“Then why?” asked Rebecca. “Why does your deck have an unusable card?”

“My master believes, as a self-evident truth, that humanity is evil. By giving power to our enemies, they will self-destruct.”

“I might be mean and my friends might be dumb, but we’re not evil. A true duelist fights alongside the heart of the cards. You should’ve seen it during the duel with Vivian.”

“I know.”

“Huh?”

“I want to believe in a different truth; show me how a true duelist handles the Seal of Orichalcos; I activate Exchange. We’ll each trade one card in our hand. Naturally, you’ll take the only card in mine.”

As she held it, the Seal of Orichalcos etched itself on the card. “What’s this?”

“Your choice awaits.”

Did Rafael just offer the power to rescue Grandpa? Wait, no. Rebecca shook her head. “It’s a brick to me. I don’t need a soul-sucker, you sucker.”

“Is this okay?” asked Téa.

Yugi nodded. “There’s a difference between holding and firing a gun.”

“Now, what’s in your hand? Marie the Fallen One, Ruby Dragon, and Big Bang Shot. Big Bang Shot is a versatile Equip Spell, so it’s the most compatible with my deck. I take it and end my turn.”

“My turn, draw. The card I drew was Graceful Charity, so I activate it to draw three and discard two.”

“Great draw,” said Yugi. “Now Rebecca can discard Marie the Fallen One to recover LP at the start of her turns, get rid of the Seal of Orichalcos, and replace them with other cards.”

“I discard Marie the Fallen One, and…” Rebecca pinched the Seal of Orichalcos. But what if it became the only path to rescue Grandpa? But the ethics! Rebecca tensed, then exhaled. No need to settle the issue now. “I also discard Ruby Dragon.”

“Rebecca? Why didn’t you discard the Seal of Orichalcos?”

Téa scratched her head. “Maybe she needed Ruby Dragon in her Graveyard? She used monsters in the Graveyard to strengthen Shadow Ghoul with her old deck.”

Bystanders should mind their own business. “Remember Yugi’s gun analogy? It’s still useful as a threat to make Rafael retreat.”

“You won’t intimidate me while my Guardians have my back.”

“We’ll see.”

“But Rebecca,” said Yugi. “Bluffs needs credibility; true duelists won’t play it.”

“He was soft enough to give me a chance to rescue Grandpa. Maybe, underneath all those muscles, he’s actually a wimp?”

Téa folded her arms. “An American Champ like you shouldn’t stoop to mind games.”

“Of course, of course. Anyway, it was my turn. I summon Fire Princess (1300ATK), set a card, and end my turn.” A lady with long white hair and crimson robes wielded a staff.

“My turn, draw. You have quite the burn deck, but two can play that game. I activate the Continuous Spell, Purity of the Cemetery. If I don’t have any monsters in my Graveyard, then this card deals 100LP damage per monster in your Graveyard at the start of each of your turns. So far, that’s three: Cure Mermaid, Marie the Fallen One, and Ruby Dragon.”

“I’ll win long before your card hurts.”

“Not if I defeat Fire Princess.”

“Try it.”

“But based on your dueling style, I feel as if the card you set can defeat Guardian Grarl. I won’t carelessly risk his life, so I end my turn.”

Yugi studied Rafael. “The more I think about it, the more that this guy acts like a true duelist. He respects his cards, and although he’s playing the devil, Rafael isn’t playing for her soul.”

“That’s strange,” said Téa. “Then why is he working for the bad guys?”

“My turn, draw. Because Marie the Fallen One is in the Graveyard, I recover 200LP (3900~4100LP). Because I gained LP, Fire Princess deals damage.” Fire Princess aimed a fireball at Rafael. He braced himself against a little explosion (2000~1500LP).

“But Purity of the Cemetery will undo you LP recovery (4100~3800LP).”

“This ends now. I summon Injection Fairy Lily (400ATK).” A nurse fairy with bushy pink hair flew in on a syringe. “Unlike you, I have plenty of LP to spend. When Injection Fairy Lily’s attack connects, I can pay 2000LP to increase her ATK by 3000ATK. You’ll then be weak enough for Fire Princess to attack for game. I pay for Toll (3800~3300LP) to attack with Injection Fairy Lily!”

“Not so fast! I activate my facedown Quick-Play Spell, Negate Attack. This ends your assault.”

“Your stalling will only help me. I end my turn.”

“My turn, draw. I equip Guardian Grarl with Big Bang Blow (3000~3400ATK). Now’s the time. I pay for Toll (1500~1000LP). Attack Fire Princess with Decisive Chop!” Guardian Grarl leapt towards Fire Princess.

“I won’t let you! You’ll crash and burn when I activate my Trap, Mirror Force.” A flat translucent panel crystallized, but Guardian Grarl smashed it. “What!?”

“I activated my Quick-Play Spell, Aura of Silence. In exchange for attacking with only one monster this turn, I can negate your activatable effects this turn during battle.”

“No!” Rebecca covered her mouth when Guardian Grarl swung at Fire Princess. The crimson lady doubled over (3300~1200LP).

“Rebecca!” said Yugi.

“Oh no!” said Téa.

“By the way, Gravity Axe has a continuous effect that prevents you from switching battle positions. You no longer have the LP to power up Injection Fairy Lily. And even if you tribute her to defend with a high-level monster, Big Bang Blow still deals piercing damage. With one final attack, it’s my win. I end my turn.”

Rebecca trembled. Was Grandpa’s fate about to slip through her hands? “M-My turn, draw…I recover with Marie the Fallen One (1200~1400LP).”

“But because you lost another monster, Purity of the Cemetery forces you to pay it back twice (1400~1000LP).”

“Ugh…I summon Sapphire Dragon (1900ATK). I also activate the Quick-Play Spell, Adamantine Sword Revival. This lets me summon Diamond Head Dragon from my hand, Graveyard, or deck. From my deck, I summon Diamond Head Dragon (2900ATK), which has 1000ATK more than the original ATK of the Dragon-type that I used for tribute.” A dragon made of blue sapphire glided into the sky and glowed; a great green dragon with diamond scales and horns descended.

“You still can’t stop Guardian Grarl from attacking Injection Fairy Lily.”

“But I can.” Rebecca’s pendant glowed. She continued to tremble as she held her last resort. “I’ll be in a good spot if I play the Seal of Orichalcos.”

“Please don’t!” said Téa. “You know what playing that card means!”

“Rebecca,” said Yugi. “What would your grandfather want?”

“There’s no problem if Rafael just surrenders. After I play the Seal of Orichalcos, I can force Diamond Head Dragon to crash into Guardian Grarl. That’ll cause him to lose Purity of the Cemetery. With nothing else on his field or in his hand, Rafael has to top-deck. I’ll convert my advantage into a win.”

Yugi and Téa gaped.

“Are you straying?” asked Rafael. “Shouldn’t a true duelist think in terms other than doing whatever it takes to win?”

“I’m fighting in earnest on the only chance I have to save Grandpa. I’m also betting my pride as the American Champ. How do you think I feel when someone shows up with a trash deck, taunts me with a powerup, and is still about to win?”

Yugi gulped. “I think we all just… let’s take a deep breath for a second.”

Téa did, then approached Rebecca. “Rebecca, I’m sorry for lashing out at you earlier. You must have a lot of stress.”

“Go away, or I’ll swear to put your face on here instead.”

She froze.

“Give up, muscle-head. Right now, I’m holding your soul’s grave.”

Rafael pressed a hand against his heart. “Even if you play it, and no matter how bad things get, I will trust in my cards. Isn’t this actually your last chance to surrender?”

Rebecca studied the card. Grandpa and Yugi both taught her that a life was more important than winning or losing. But whose life? Their examples described people who cared about someone else. Here? Abandon Grandpa to spare an enemy and trust the whim of fate to somehow work a happy ending? Screw that. Experience taught her another lesson: assert herself or perish. If she had to be bitchy, selfish…or murderous, then so be it. “Playing this card is my duty. I activate the Seal of Orichalcos!”

A pillar of green light enveloped Rebecca, illuminated Domino City Plaza with a green light, then expanded. When the expansion finished, Rebecca cupped a hand over her forehead and confirmed the green glow reflected on her palm. Grandpa would have frowned, but his own good meant Rafael had to suffer.

She looked at Yugi and Téa. When they saw Rebecca, they averted their faces. “Where’s my thanks? I’m taking out the bad guy, right?”

Rafael gazed at his deck.

“You thank me too. I’m handling this card, just like you asked.” When the Seal of Orichalcos branded her monsters, Injection Fairy Lily clutched her syringe (400~900ATK) and Diamond Head Dragon roared (2900~3400ATK). “I pay for Toll (1000~500LP). Diamond Head Dragon, hand me your life so that Guardian Grarl can die.”

“Guardian Grarl, I’m so sorry.” Guardian Grarl nodded and positioned himself in front of Rafael. The horn attack pierced Guardian Grarl through the chest, but Guardian Grarl drove Gravity Axe through Diamond Head Dragon’s neck for a successful decapacitation. “I won’t forget your sacrifice.”

“Aww, don’t cry. You’ll soon join him.”

Yugi pounded the Orichalcos wall. “A true duelist respects their cards and the opponent!”

“I have no time for niceties.”

“You’re wrong,” said Rafael. He pumped his fist. “Even in war, soldiers follow a code of honor. This duel will be decided by the bonds between our cards and hearts.”

“This duel will be decided by ruthlessness. Because of my last attack, you have a monster in your Graveyard, so your Purity of the Cemetery is destroyed. And since Gravity Axe is off the field, I’m free to switch battle positions again. I switch Injection Fairy Lily’s battle position (1500DEF) and end my turn.”

“My turn, draw.”

“Any ‘big breakthrough’ from your deck?”

“I end my turn.”

“Then all I need to do is draw into any monster, and you’re finished. My turn. Draw!”

Rafael did not flinch.

“Is this a joke?” The corner of her mouth curled down. Why did the card have to be Guardian Angel Joan? Why!? “I can’t summon this high-level monster. But I still recover due to Marie the Fallen One (500~700LP).”

Rebecca considered two options. The first option was to risk the wait and draw into a monster to win the duel. The second option was to attack now with Injection Fairy Lily and seal Rafael’s attacks before he drew a troublesome card, at the cost of waiting a few more turns to attack again. However, her deck already proved its incompetence. She found neither shake nor quiver in Rafael’s demeanor. Rebecca looked at Injection Fairy Lily.

“I suppose even trash has its use.”

Injection Fairy Lily sulked.

“I switch Injection Fairy Lily’s battle position (900ATK) and pay for Toll (700~200LP) to attack you directly!” Injection Fairy Lily zipped to Rafael at full speed, but he deflected the syringe with his duel disk (1000~100LP). “I end my turn.”

“My turn, draw.”

“If you can’t attack, then you can only await your loss. Just admit your defeat gracefully.”

“I end my turn.”

“My turn, draw.” Rebecca fought the urge to crumple the card.

“You drew a playable monster?”

“Don’t even think of getting cocky. First, I recover with Marie the Fallen One (200~400LP). Next, I activate Monster Reborn to summon a monster from the Graveyard, Fire Princess (1500DEF). I also switch Injection Fairy Lily’s battle position (1500DEF) and end my turn.” Fire Princess huffed as the Seal of Orichalcos branded her. “Time’s up. On my next turn, the second I get LP, Fire Princess will burn the rest of your LP. Because of Toll, you can’t stop her with an attack. And once I seal your soul inside this card, you’ll rest in pieces. I’ll shred your soul along with the Guardians you love.”

Rafael clenched a fist.

Rebecca smirked. “Oh, did I touch a sensitive spot?”

“Rebecca, no!” said Yugi.

“You wouldn’t!” said Téa.

Rebecca giggled. “I’ll make sure to rip him up into many pieces, just for you two.”

“Have some shame,” said Rafael. “How much further will you debase yourself?”

“Last words of a sore loser? This’ll be good.”

“Twisted as you are, you still could’ve won, had you believed in your cards and waited. Worse, your good intentions have withered. Your grandfather would surely weep.”

She stomped the ground. “Shut up!”

“I will never admit defeat until the end. My turn.” Rafael closed his eyes. “Draw!”

Where did her sweat come from? “It doesn’t matter what you drew.”

Rafael pressed the three cards to his chest. “I activate the Continuous Spell, Morale Boost. Every time I equip an Equip Spell, I gain 1000LP.”

“You found a way to pay for Toll? But I have shields.” Injection Fairy Lily and Fire Princess avoided her gaze.

“I reveal Guardian Elma and Butterfly Dagger in my hand, to summon Guardian Elma (1300ATK) and equip her with Butterfly Dagger (1300~1600ATK). And because I equipped an Equip Spell, I recover LP thanks to Morale Boost (100~1100LP)” A green dagger with an orange butterfly hilt floated from the sky into the white-gloved hands of a young lady with short red hair. Her top piece was colored like a butterfly. “Prepare yourself. On summon from my hand, Guardian Elma can equip herself with one card from the Graveyard.”

Rebecca gasped.

“What’s going on?” asked Téa.

“Big Bang Shot,” said Yugi. “If Guardian Elma equips that and attacks either Injection Fairy Lily or Fire Princess, then Rebecca loses.”

“She’s about to lose!?”

Rebecca hurled her duel disk at the ground. Injection Fairy Lily and Fire Princess stared as it clattered between them. “Why are my cards so useless!?”

“You will not blame your cards. If you want to blame someone, then blame yourself. The card I choose to equip is Shooting Star Bow, and I recover again with Morale Boost (1100~2100LP). Shooting Star Bow weakens Guardian Elma (1600~600ATK), but she can make a direct attack.”

First Grandpa, and now her? Rebecca turned to Yugi, then pounded the Orichalcos wall. “You promised to protect me!”

~*~*~*~*~

Yugi stiffened. What to do?

Téa turned to Yugi. “Can’t your Millennium Puzzle do something?”

“I don’t know! It couldn’t cancel the Seal of Orichalcos when I dueled Vivian.”

“What a shame,” said Rafael. “At least turn around and accept your defeat gracefully.”

Rebecca grimaced, but she pushed her back against the Orichalcos wall. Guardian Elma pulled the drawstring for a fiery arrow.

“I pay for Toll (2100~1600LP). Direct attack!”

Her arrow struck Rebecca in the chest (400~0LP). She yelped, then collapsed. The Seal of Orichalcos zapped her in front of Yugi. He gripped the Millennium Puzzle.

The Pharaoh’s voice echoed in Yugi’s mind. “Yugi, wait! You can’t just interfere with the result of a shadow game!”

Yugi sent his thoughts to the Pharaoh. “I have to at least try. Maybe I can force the Seal of Orichalcos to accept my soul in her place.”

“You don’t need to sacrifice yourself and nobody will blame you for doing nothing. This mess is Rebecca’s responsibility; don’t let her send you on a guilt trip.”

“She shouldn’t have to live with this memory forever. I’m giving Rebecca a second chance to fix this nightmare.”

“Think about your friends! How much pain do you think we’ll be in when you’re gone!?”

Yugi raised the Millennium Puzzle over his head. “I’m just going on a brief vacation. I know you guys will find a way to save me.”

“I beg of you, listen to me and reconsider! Yugi!”

When Yugi hammered the Millennium Puzzle against the Orichalcos wall, the green light changed into golden light.


	4. Violently with Grace

“Get ready.” Mai slowed the car as they turned to a stretch of port pavement. The sea sloshed across the lineup of white half-cylindrical storehouses.

“Thanks again,” said Joey. “I keep sayin’ it, but dis means a lot ta me.”

She gripped the steering wheel. “I just hope we get out okay.”

Joey scanned the port. No thugs, but he did spot some memories: the place where he embarked from Domino Pier for Duelist Kingdom to win the prize money for his sister’s eye operation and his forced death duel against Yugi.

“Storehouse #3,” said Tristan.

“You boys go in and I’ll keep watch. Be careful.”

The boys approached the wide, open garage. Darkness covered what was inside, which left a few crates visible at the entrance. Joey shouted into the dark. “I’m here, Valon. Let my family go.”

No response.

“Gonna keep hidin’ like a coward?” After Joey spoke, a trail of five green stones spaced about ten meters apart glowed.

“The light isn’t reaching the crates. If this place turns into Fist City, then we’ll be surrounded on all sides.”

“Da whole invitation’s a trap, but we’re goin’ in. Watch my back, Tristan.”

“Like old times.”

As they passed each stone, the prior stone dimmed. Joey kept his head forward as footsteps echoed behind them. They reached the final stone. “Done playin’ around, Valon?”

A few ceiling lights then shone on Valon, who sat with his legs spread on a stack of crates about four meters tall. “Good to see you again.”

“Where’s my family?”

“They should be in the storehouse farthest from here with Bandit Keith.”

Joey’s eyes widened. “Bandit Keith? What, is Domino Pier turnin’ into a dumpin’ ground for trash?”

Valon shrugged. “I’ll be dumping your bodies into the sea, anyway.”

“What’s Keith doin’ here?”

“The boss thought it would be good to bring some firepower, but I’m sick of working with that Yankee. Quicker to deal with you blokes myself.”

“Well? Get down here.”

“Weren’t you expecting a trap?” Valon snapped his fingers. The rest of the ceiling lights flooded the storehouse. Joey shielded his eyes, which adjusted to an unwelcome sight. “I always strive to meet expectations.”

“No kiddin’.” A dozen men hooded in robes similar to Gurimo surrounded Joey and Tristan. Joey pointed to his duel disk, “Put da thugs aside and duel me like a man.”

“And waste good help? Lump of ice for you: the Seal of Orichalcos doesn’t need a duel. If you’re a bloody mess on the floor, then I can still make a card out of you.”

“Dirty little…”

“I prefer to think of it as crushing you with everything I’ve got. Y’know, showing respect.”

Joey and Tristan put up their fists.

“Rough’em up.”

As Joey and Tristan pushed their backs to each other, Joey glanced at his surroundings. The ring of thugs had no weapons as they closed around them, but other thugs blocked the path to the exit. The best chance to "win" was to win a battle of attrition and escape.

Joey nudged Tristan's shoulder. The boys turned in that direction, then punched and elbowed through a couple thugs. The duo sprinted to a wall of crates. Backs to the wall! Both boys kept an eye on the thugs, who surrounded them again.

Valon shook his head. “That’s no fun. If you won’t let my men encircle you two, then I want the leftovers to break off and chase your ride.”

Joey tensed when several men dash to the exit. “Mai!”

“Joey!”

Tristan’s warning snapped him back in time to deflect a thug’s punch with his duel disk. Joey returned a punch to sender. However, the car outside revved; Mai had to leave. At least she was safe. Joey told himself not to resent her and that they all agreed to this beforehand. His heart still sank.

~*~*~*~*~

Mai kept watch as the boys entered. A green glow lit the storehouse, followed by proper lighting. Whatever happened, she allowed herself a sigh. Darkness was not their friend.

Her elation short-circuited when shadows from inside headed for the entrance. Were they Joey and Tristan fleeing? Mai’s skin jumped; those robes were thugs! She revved the engine. Joey and Tristan can fend for themselves, right? They agreed on this beforehand, right? Time to go!

But she recalled the moment when Valon and his thugs crashed the tournament that she participated in with Vivian. People screamed while the thugs carded everyone through force or duel. Amidst that chaos, Mai flashed to the moment when the evil Marik banished her to the Shadow Realm during Battle City. She stood like a deer in the headlights, but then screamed like prey in the thug’s grasp. When Vivian knocked him out and shielded Mai, more surrounded them. But instead of a fight, Valon offered that truce.

Mai scolded herself for her own cowardice. She allowed an acquaintance to accept such shameful terms instead of challenging him. Joey and Tristan were close friends, but she planned to flee again? Mai took a deep breath. No more guilt, please. The thugs leapt to the side as the engine roared and Mai drove into the storehouse.

Joey grinned. “Help is on da way.”

Valon whistled as she slammed on the breaks next to the boys’ position. The wheels squealed as Mai spun the car. Thugs near Joey and Tristan stepped back, but then they charged the car. One thug lunged for her throat.

“Guess again,” said Mai. She emptied a stun gun into him. While his comrades stared as he screamed and writhed, Joey and Tristan kicked and punched some other thugs from behind.

“Still got da pepper spray, right?”

“Hopefully, Mai won’t need it. Let’s get out of here.” The boys hopped into the car, then put an arm through a seat belt and gripped the back of a front seat.

“Don’t let those blokes escape!” The garage door rattled as it closed. Must beat it! “Playtime is over. Break out the Orichalcos stones!”

Five thugs picked up the Orichalcos stones and sprinted to the garage exit. The car roared and squealed again as she slammed the pedal.

“Scram!” Three heeded Mai. A green aura covered the other two as they prepared to catch her car. Lunatics! She slammed the brakes and gritted her teeth. THUMP! The car stopped and Mai lurched forward, but the two thugs clutched themselves as they groaned and rolled on the floor. She shivered at the sight, but Joey laid a hand on her shoulder. Mai nodded and equipped a little cannister of pepper spray from the glove compartment as the garage door sealed the exit.

The other three thugs gripped their Orichalcos stones. A green aura covered them. They rushed the car. Joey leapt at one with a flying knee, dropped him, then leaned from another thug’s punch. But the punch was a green blur!

Mai gasped. “Joey!”

Joey collapsed with his hands over his stomach. The thug kicked Joey in the chest. He tumbled to the floor. Tristan dispatched the thug from behind while Mai sprayed the other, who screamed and covered his eyes.

“Joey,” said Tristan. “You okay!?”

“Ugh…dey pack…a wallop.”

“Enough,” said Valon. He had a smirk on his face. “I’m impressed.”

Mai counted three thugs still in good shape. “Are you giving up? We’ve got a good chance of escaping.”

Valon counted another three thugs with bruised faces as they panted, but still on their feet. “Actually, it could go either way. That’s why I’d like to propose a deal. I’ll tell my men to wait if Joey agrees to play Duel Monsters with me, now.”

Joey wheezed and failed to push himself off the floor. “I’ll…do it.”

Tristan helped him sit up. “Easy there.”

Mai shook her head. “Why should we believe Valon’s word? For all we know, he’s just trying to buy time for his men to catch their breaths.”

“Joey benefits too,” said Valon. “That’s why I’ll play the Seal of Orichalcos. If I win, then your side has just one man and woman against my six men and myself. But I’m also the person delivering their pay for tonight’s hard work. If I go down for the count, then these guys won’t have any reason to fight.”

“What about Joey's family?”

“You’ll have to talk with the Yankee.”

“Huh?”

“Bandit Keith,” said Joey. “Family…nearby.”

“What!?”

Joey forced a grin. “I’m…fine. Time…ta duel.”

She took one look at Joey, then grinned back. “Nope! I won’t let you.”

“But…”

“Valon! We’ll accept under one condition: you duel me instead of Joey.”

“You?” Valon sneered. “Last time, you fled. Why the change of heart?”

“Joey’s in no shape to be dueling.”

“Mai…dis is…my…” Joey grimaced.

“This isn’t just for you. I want to show Valon that he’s not as strong as he thinks. And I plan on winning this one for Vivian.”

When Valon slid off the crate and threw his fist forward, his Orichalcos ring gleamed. “Interesting! I like girls with spunk. Maybe you’re worth the Seal of Orichalcos after all.”

““Duel!””

“Ladies first,” he said.

Mai brushed his comment. “You, a gentleman? Nice acting. I summon Dunames Dark Witch (1800ATK) and end my turn.” A long purple-haired angel with red armor stood ready.

“My turn, draw. I activate Armored Gravitation. This lets me summon four Armor of my choice from the deck. Say hello to Psychic Armor Head (0ATK), Big Bang Blow (0ATK), Over Boost (0ATK), and Active Guard (0ATK).” Metal armor in the colors of white and blue equipped themselves to his body: helmet, arm gauntlet, boots, and chest plate.

“0ATK? They must have nasty abilities.”

“You catch on fast. Why don’t I show them to you right now? I can only attack with one piece of Armor per turn, so I attack with Big Bang Blow!” Valon leapt through the air and threw a punch at Dunames Dark Witch. She crossed her arms and folded her wings, but the storehouse rumbled as the punch created an explosion of black smoke. Mai shielded her face (4000~2200LP). When the smoke cleared, her monster was gone.

“What happened to Dunames Dark Witch!?”

“Big Bang Blow. If I have two or more other pieces of Armor, I can activate its effect to destroy all monsters on your side of the field and deal damage based on their total ATK to both players.”

“But your other Armor cards protected you?”

Valon patted his chest plate. “I take no damage as a result of battle with my Armor. And when I’m about to take LP damage from card effects, I can activate Active Guard to prevent that for one turn. Pieces of Armor are also destroyed at the end of the turn after I activate their abilities. Not that it matters this time because Armored Gravitation destroys all Armor that I summoned through its effect at the end of my turn, which is right now.”

“Huh?” Mai watched Valon’s Armor crumble. “But doesn’t that leave you defenseless?”

“When I want to fight, I’m not some coward who needs to hide behind a bunch of minions. I trade blows like a man.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” said Tristan. “Joey even offered you a duel, but you decided to let your thugs do all the heavy lifting.”

“My turn, draw. I summon Harpie Lady (1300ATK) and attack. Scratch Slash!” A long red-haired female humanoid with talons, wings, and claws swooped on Valon. He welcomed her slash with open arms (4000~2700LP). “I set a card and end my turn.”

“My turn, draw. If Psychic Armor Head is in the Graveyard and I don’t have a copy on the field at the start of my turn, it resummons itself (0ATK).” After equipping Psychic Armor Head, Valon glanced at his drawn card. “Last chance to run, Mai. Leave Joey and Tristan to me.”

“Over my dead body.”

“Heh, I was hoping you’d say that. I activate the Seal of Orichalcos!” A green pillar of light enveloped Valon and expanded past Mai. Psychic Armor Head glowed green (0~500ATK). “Warm-up’s over. Time for the real fight.”

“You’ll need more than a helmet and self-destructing Armor to defeat me.”

“I activate Full Armor Gravitation. This lets me fill my field with Armor from the top ten cards of my deck. Better yet, this suit of Armor gets to stay. I summon…Buster Knuckle (0~500ATK), Jet Gauntlet (0~500ATK), Advanced Shield (1000~1500ATK), and Active Guard (0~500ATK).”

Mai pumped her arm. “If you want to spam Armor, then I’ll spam Harpie Ladies. I activate my Trap, Nightmare Tri-Mirror. This duplicates one monster on my field for every monster that you summoned at once. Here’s four more Harpie Ladies (4x 1300ATK)!”

Two gauntlets, a buckler, and chest plate glowed green and equipped themselves to Valon. A purple trifold mirror with eyes and talons opened for four Harpie Ladies to fly from the glass.

“My Harpie Ladies will shred your Armor.”

Valon punched the air. “Let me introduce you to Buster Knuckle. It’s 200ATK stronger for each piece of Armor on the field (500~1500ATK). I attack!” Valon leapt into the air and punched a Harpie Lady in the face (2200~2000LP).

Mai’s mouth curled down.

“Heh, looks like you want me to punch your face next. I end my turn.”

“My turn, draw. I hope you’re ready to strip.”

“Those Harpie Ladies can’t claw off my suit of Armor.” Valon raised Buster Knuckle and Advanced Shield. “Because I can move my body, I can redirect your attacks from one Armor to another Armor of my choice.”

“I set one card. Instead of attacking, I activate Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation. If I have at least three Harpie Ladies, I can destroy that many monsters on your field and deal damage equal to their total ATK. I’m destroying everything except Active Guard.”

“Clever girl. After all, I’m activating Active Guard to negate the damage.”

The Harpie Ladies took flight, glowed red, then divebombed. Valon pumped his arms and bared his Active Guard, which absorbed the red aura, but the Harpie Ladies clawed apart the rest of his Armor. “I end my turn.”

“Way…ta go...Mai.”

Her heart fluttered as Joey stood with Tristan’s help. “Joey, thank goodness.”

Valon growled. “What’s the point of getting worked up over someone else? Joey can’t help while you’re inside the Seal of Orichalcos. The only thing that matters in life is doing whatever it takes to ensure your own survival.”

Mai glared at him, but then bowed her head. “I used to think like that until I found friends.”

“Friends? You let Vivian sacrifice herself.”

She clenched her hand. “I won’t repeat the same mistake.”

“No, abandoning her was the right call.” Valon closed his eyes and folded his arms. “A friend and I once tried to rob a rich family. But not only did we fail, we learned something worse: the family was connected to a mafia. My friend struggled to escape, so I left him high and dry.”

“Not that I pity you, but maybe you both could’ve survived if you two worked together.” She glanced at Joey and Tristan.

“Mai’s right,” said Joey. “Without her…and Tristan…I’d be toast.”

“You still are!” Valon gestured to his thugs who sat on crates and watched the duel. “After I win, we’ll go back to stomping your face, especially if Tristan is all you have to guard your broken body. And once we’re done here, we’re targeting Yugi’s old man.”

“I’m still here,” said Mai.

“Not for long. My turn, draw. Psychic Armor Head reequips to me (0~500ATK). Next, I activate Phoenix Gravitation. If Psychic Armor Head is on the field, I can target and reequip up to four pieces of Armor from the Graveyard.” Jet Gauntlet (0~500ATK), Over Boost (0~500ATK), and Active Guard (0~500ATK) glowed green and equipped themselves to Valon. He stared at his bare arm. “What happened to Big Bang Blow?”

“I activated my Trap, Disappear. It banished one card from your Graveyard.”

“In that case, I’ll just summon another Buster Knuckle (0~1500ATK). And I activate the effect of Over Boost. It lets a piece of Armor conduct a direct attack!”

“What!?”

“I attack with Buster Knuckle!” Rocket jets inside Over Boost propelled Valon above the Harpie Ladies. He raised Buster Knuckle and dived for Mai’s face.

Mai blocked with her duel disk, but Valon’s punch stung on impact (2000~500LP) and a loud knock echoed. His blow threw Mai into the Orichalcos wall. The places where her body collided also stung, but Mai cradled her forearm. Pain jolted her when she attempted to move it. Did his attack bust the bone!? “Ever heard of pulling your punches? You’re so brutal.”

“Mai!” said Joey.

“Are you okay!?” asked Tristan.

“There’s more,” said Valon. He faced the Harpie Ladies, then activated a card. His Armor glowed, then exploded.

Mai shielded her face with her good arm as Armor debris flew everywhere. Black smoke cleared to reveal an empty field, except for Psychic Armor Head. “My Harpie Ladies!”

“Why stop with a whimper when I can finish with a bang? Instead of having my Armor crumble due to Phoenix Gravitation, I activated the Quick-Play Spell, Armor Burst. It lets me destroy as many pieces of Armor as I deem fit to destroy that many cards on the field. I decided to destroy all of my Armor except Psychic Armor Head to take out your four Harpie Ladies. With that, I end my turn.”

Mai noted several cracks on her duel disk and a broken LP counter, but the rest of her duel disk still operated. She used her other wrist to support and tuck her duel disk forearm against her stomach. “My turn, draw. I summon another Harpie Lady (1300ATK) and activate Elegant Egotist to create two more Harpie Ladies (2x 1300ATK). Attack!” Two Harpie Lady images split apart from the original Harpie Lady. They swooped on Valon. One swiped Psychic Armor Head while the other two slashed him (2700~100LP).

“Get’em!” said Joey.

“Almost there!” said Tristan.

Pain shot through Mai’s forearm as she handled a card. Mai told herself to stay strong for her friends. “I set a card and end my turn.”

“My turn, draw! After Psychic Armor Head reequips itself to me (0~500ATK), I activate another Phoenix Gravitation!” Buster Knuckle (0~500~1500ATK), Jet Gauntlet (0~500ATK), Over Boost (0~500ATK), and Active Guard (0~500ATK) glowed green and reequipped themselves to Valon. “Since you liked it so much last time, I activate Over Boost to attack you directly with Buster Knuckle!”

“Not so fast! I have at least two Harpie Ladies, so I can activate my Trap, Harpie Lady Sparrow Formation, to create a perfect defense!”

Valon flew into the air, but the Harpie Ladies intercepted his maneuvers and shoved him to the floor. “Lousy birdbrains!”

“Now your Armor wears off due to Phoenix Gravitation.”

“Not if I activate my Quick-Play Spell, Armor Stabilization. This turn, my Armor can’t be destroyed by card effects, so you can forget another triple attack.”

No matter how she repositioned her forearm, the pain worsened. Mai grimaced and fought her tears. Three Harpie Ladies were all she had, but they meant nothing if Valon used Over Boost for a direct attack next turn. How was she supposed to defeat his Armor?

“I end my turn. It’s such a shame that you wasted Vivian’s sacrifice.”

She imagined the scorn on her friends’ faces.

“Mai,” said Joey. “Rearrange his face! Da Mai I know…won’t lose ta some…common villain!”

Mai smiled, and a bit of her pain faded. If an idiot punched a wall enough times, then even he might make a dent.

“Pointless,” said Valon. “You’re all just trash!”

“Just you,” said Mai. She channeled Vivian’s fighting spirit. “My turn. Draw! If I have a Harpie Lady in my Graveyard, I can banish her to activate Harpie’s Last Will, then draw two cards.”

“You think two cards can defeat me?”

“I do.” This time, she imagined that Joey and Tristan each handed her a card. “I activate Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation!”

“Your old trick won’t work twice.” Valon grinned as he patted Active Guard. “Now that I’m about to take damage, I can activate Active Guard to take none of it for the whole turn!”

“I’ll shut it down. I have a Harpie Lady on the field, so I can activate this Trap from my hand: Harpie’s Feather Storm!”

“From your hand!?”

“All of your monster effects are negated for the turn. Finish him off, Harpie Ladies!”

A vortex of feathers surrounded Valon. The Harpie Ladies glowed red and divebombed. Valon pumped his arms and bared Active Guard again, but he screamed as the red aura enveloped him while the Harpie Ladies tore his Armor. They launched Valon with a united upper slash, who grunted when he crashed into the floor (100~0LP).

Joey punched the air. “Mai!”

“Way to go!” said Tristan.

“I can’t Adam and Eve it! How’d I lose a one-on-one fight!?”

Mai winked at Joey and Tristan. “Because we’re stronger.” Joey smiled and Tristan punched his palm.

“I better have lost to the best.” Valon closed his eyes. The Seal of Orichalcos zapped him, then faded.

Tristan glanced at the thugs, but none of them appeared eager for a fight. A few clapped. “Let’s leave before they change their minds. Time to find Joey’s family for real.”


	5. Phantoms of Their Hearts

Rebecca awakened with her back on a bench underneath the starless sky. Did she survive her defeat to Rafael inside the Seal of Orichalcos? The girl dared to break into a smile. Maybe she just had a nightmare.

“You’re awake,” said Téa. “Good.”

Relief died when Rebecca saw Téa, who stood with a grim face and folded arms. She sat up and scanned for Yugi. He stood beside the fountain and stared at the sky, but this Yugi had a serious face. This must be the Pharaoh.

“You probably shouldn’t bother him right now.”

“How long have I been out?”

“Several minutes.”

“And…why was I out?”

“You tell me.”

Rebecca held her breath. “I had this nightmare where I played the Seal of Orichalcos but still lost.”

“It’s definitely a nightmare. A real one.”

Oh no. A dull squeeze clamped her head. Rebecca wanted to pass out on the bench. “But I'm still here?”

“Yugi sacrificed himself.”

Rebecca tried to grip her pendant as she processed her thoughts, but it was no longer there.

“He used the Millennium Puzzle but then collapsed. Rafael claimed your pendant and the Seal of Orichalcos card with Yugi’s soul.” Téa called to the Pharaoh. “Rebecca woke up. We should go home.”

The Pharaoh did not look in their direction but instead walked alone.

Rebecca's head was sore, but they caught up to him. “Um…I’m sorry.”

He did not acknowledge her presence. Rebecca paused for a few seconds as the Pharaoh and Téa walked together.

“Téa,” said the Pharaoh. “Can I ask a favor?”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know if Rebecca and her grandfather already made reservations to stay somewhere, but I don’t want her to stay by herself. Can she stay with you? I’m sure Yugi would’ve let Rebecca stay at his residence, but…”

Rebecca expected as much, but to hear it was still a punch.

“Sure, I guess. Can I also ask something?” Téa sighed when the Pharaoh shrugged. “I’m sure you’re feeling a storm of emotions right now, but please don’t be too hard on Rebecca.”

Was this a pretense of pity?

“She’s still a young girl, and she’s surely carrying a lot of guilt.”

“But Yugi must’ve had a place in your heart. Were you able to find it inside yourself to forgive Rebecca already? You have a kinder heart than mine.”

“To be honest, I haven’t. But if we’re stuck like this fighting ourselves or our friends, we can’t save anyone. And…”

“And?”

“Yugi wouldn’t want us to hold a grudge.”

They approached an intersection. “I’m heading this way.”

“Take care.”

He left.

“Rebecca, did you already have a reservation to stay in Japan?”

“Yeah, at the Domino City Hotel.”

“Would you mind staying with me instead?”

“I don’t need a babysitter.”

“It’s not that. We don’t want you hurt, and we’re safer together.”

“You can’t honestly expect me to believe that you want anything to do with a brat who sacrificed your boyfriend or whatever.”

Téa flinched.

A wisp of fog drifted from Rebecca’s mouth. Was the night that cold? Whoa! She covered her mouth, but thicker fog spilled. It coalesced into the shape of and color of the Pharaoh. “W-What is this!?”

Phantom Pharaoh drew the Seal of Orichalcos from his deck. “Whenever someone harms my friends, I always deliver the culprit to justice.”

Téa shook her head. “The Pharaoh that I know also considers his friends’ wishes. If you want to imitate the real deal, then please leave us alone.”

Rebecca looked down. “Liar.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re secretly hoping for him to punish me. Eye for an eye, soul for a soul.”

Téa put her hands on her hips. “That’s not true! This fake doesn’t speak on my behalf.”

Phantom Pharaoh smirked. “You don’t need to admit it. Duel me, Rebecca.”

Would victory even put an end to this fake? “What if I say no?”

“Huh? Oh, I get it. You want me to dispose your grandfather. You don’t want him to endure the shame of his little monster.”

“Bastard. When I played the Seal of Orichalcos, I was prepared for Grandpa to never look at me the same way again.” Rebecca tugged her tie as her throat tightened, then forced a smirk. “If I’m just a monster, then you can’t regret jumping into my cage.”

““Duel!””

“I’ll go first,” said Rebecca. “I summon Injection Fairy Lily (400ATK).”

The duelist shivered when Injection Fairy Lily’s syringe rustled one of her ponytails and stuck into the street like a javelin.

“I set a card and end my turn.”

“My turn,” said Phantom Pharaoh. “Draw. Unlike you, I don’t need to hesitate with this card. I activate the Seal of Orichalcos.”

The pillar of green light enveloped Phantom Pharaoh and expanded past Rebecca. When the Seal of Orichalcos branded him, a nightmare branded Rebecca. If Phantom Pharaoh, with the Seal of Orichalcos, dueled on the same level as the real Pharaoh, then did she stand a chance?

“I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior (1700~2200ATK).” Magnets and smooth, spherical golden rocks assembled themselves into a branded little warrior. “Attack her Injection Fairy Lily!”

“I activate Injection Fairy Lily’s ability! By paying 2000LP (4000~2000LP), I can make her stronger (400~3400ATK) for one battle. Counterattack!” Beta the Magnet Warrior and Injection Fairy Lily glided at each other. The magnet warrior punched, but she barrel-rolled on her syringe and maneuvered behind her opponent. The syringe’s needle grew. Injection Fairy Lily spun the syringe, then impaled Beta the Magnet Warrior (4000~2800LP). “Aren’t you being reckless?”

“I don’t need advice from washed-up champs. I set two cards and end my turn.”

“My turn, draw. I summon Cure Mermaid (1500ATK). Cure Mermaid, attack!”

“Now you’re the one who’s reckless. I activate my Trap, Mirror Force. This will reflect your attack against your monsters.”

Rebecca grimaced. Cure Mermaid called forth a waterfall, but a flat translucent panel crystallized over Phantom Pharaoh’s head at an angle. The waterfall reflected off Mirror Force and blasted Cure Mermaid and Injection Fairy Lily (2000~900LP).

“I wonder if you’ll even make it past my next turn.”

“Just you watch. I activate the Continuous Spell, Toll, set a card, and end my turn.”

“Hold on. Just now, you declared the end of your turn. At this time, I activate my Trap, Dust Tornado. This lets me destroy a Spell or Trap. How about the card you just set?”

Her mouth dropped. “I activate my facedown Quick-Play Spell, Emergency Provisions! I can send Spells or Traps on my field to the Graveyard and gain 1000LP per card sent. Before your Dust Tornado can reach me, I send the Ring of Magnetism I just set and Toll (900~2900LP).”

“Now you’re completely wide open. My turn, draw.”

Rebecca’s head pounded.

“I set two more cards. Now, the only card in my hand is Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight. Despite being a high-level monster, his ability allows me to summon him (2300~2800ATK) without offering tribute when he’s the only card in my hand.”

“What!?”

“Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight, direct attack! Spiral Spear Strike!” A branded knight rode on a purple horse to Rebecca and thrust his lance. She managed to block with her duel disk (2900~100LP), but the force twisted Rebecca off her feet. The landing scratched her suit jacket.

“Rebecca!” said Téa. “Are you okay?”

“I end my turn.”

“My turn.” Rebecca stared at her deck. Would it even want to help her? Was she about to meet her end? Did Yugi sacrifice himself for nothing? “Draw! I set the card and end my turn.”

“Then allow me to put you out of your misery. My turn, draw. Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight, finish her with Spiral Spear Strike!”

“Here's a familiar card. I activate my Trap, Mirror Force!” When the knight thrust his lance again, Rebecca made no effort to defend herself. Instead, another flat translucent panel crystallized itself between the lance and her face. Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight screamed as an invisible force threw him off his horse.

“It doesn’t matter. I summon Queen’s Knight (1500~2000ATK) and end my turn.” A branded female knight with long golden hair and equipped with red card-themed armor pointed her sword at Rebecca.

“My turn…”

“What’s wrong? Realized that even a miracle wouldn’t want to save your rotten soul?”

“Rebecca, you can’t give up!”

“Because you want to watch me suffer, right?”

“Even if you doubt my sincerity for your well-being, Yugi still cared about you! And your grandfather still needs you!”

Maybe that much was true. Rebecca pleaded with her deck. “Draw! I activate Graceful Charity. I draw three and discard two. One of the cards I drew was Monster Reborn, so I activate it to revive one of the cards I discarded, Guardian Angel Joan (2800ATK). I also summon Fire Princess (1300ATK).” An angel with short golden hair and white robes descended next to Fire Princess. The latter turned her head to face Rebecca, narrowed her eyes, then returned focus on Phantom Pharaoh. Rebecca sighed.

“Tch. You'll need more than them to defeat me.”

“Guardian Angel Joan, attack Queen’s Knight with Holy Burst!” A ball of light concentrated between the angel’s hands. She fired a beam. The shield and armor of Queen’s Knight failed to offer protection from disintegration and Phantom Pharaoh shielded his eyes (2800~2000LP). Rebecca glowed. “Whenever Guardian Angel Joan destroys a monster, I gain LP equal to the original ATK of your fallen monster (100~1600LP). And because I gained LP while Fire Princess is on the field, she deals damage (2000~1500LP). Finally, Fire Princess attacks directly!”

Phantom Pharaoh braced as Fire Princess aimed her staff and blasted him with multiple fireballs (1500~200LP).

“I end my turn.”

“Way to go, Rebecca!”

Phantom Pharaoh bared his teeth. “Just because you climbed out of the grave, doesn’t mean you’ve won. My turn, draw. I activate a facedown Spell, Card of Sanctity. We’ll replenish our hands to six cards.”

“Thanks for the boost, foggy brain.”

“I also activate my other facedown Spell, Spider Web. It lets me activate a Spell in your Graveyard that was sent there on your last turn. Therefore, I borrow Monster Reborn to revive Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight (2300~2800ATK). And I also summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior (1500~2000ATK). Gamma the Magnet Warrior, attack Fire Princess. Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight, attack Guardian Angel Joan.” Magnets and pink rocks assembled themselves into a branded little warrior, who then faced Fire Princess, while Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight raised his lance. Gamma the Magnet Warrior punched down Fire Princess (1600~900LP). Guardian Angel Joan blasted Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight at the same time that he thrust his lance. Both angel and knight tumbled to the street. “I set a card and end my turn. You’re wide open again.”

“But this time, I have a full hand. My turn, draw. I summon Ruby Dragon (1600ATK), set three cards, and end my turn.”

“Hold on. Just now, you declared the end of your turn.” Not this again! “I activate my facedown Quick-Play Spell, Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy one of your Spells or Traps.”

A red dragon dodged a cyclone that drilled and shattered her set Rope of Life. Rebecca glanced at her other two set cards. They must suffice!

“My turn, draw. Gamma the Magnet Warrior, attack Ruby Dragon!”

“I activate my Trap, Wall of Disruption!” Gamma the Magnet Warrior shimmered (2000~1200ATK). Was this her chance to win? “Ruby Dragon, counterattack!”

“Life’s not that easy. I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Soul Taker. With this, I tribute Ruby Dragon to summon Jack’s Knight (1900~2400ATK) and give you 1000LP (900~1900LP).” Ruby Dragon roared, but it then glowed and transformed into a knight with long golden hair and equipped with blue card-themed armor. Rebecca deflected Gamma the Magnet Warrior’s punch with her duel disk (1900~700LP). “Jack’s Knight, direct attack!”

“I activate my other Trap, Raigeki Break! Once I discard a card, I can destroy one card on the field. Naturally, I destroy Jack’s Knight.” Lightning zapped Jack’s Knight.

“Ugh! I…end my turn.”

“Nice, Rebecca!” said Téa. “You just have to summon a decent attacker to defeat Gamma the Magnet Warrior, and you’ll win!”

But Phantom Pharaoh’s mouth curled up. “That is, if she actually has a monster.”

Rebecca trembled as she pinched the top card of her deck. “Shut up!”

“Hmph. You were in a similar situation against Rafael, but we all know what happened. And once you end your turn, Gamma the Magnet Warrior will deal the final blow.”

“I’ll draw a monster! I’d have lost long ago if I missed my crucial draws; it’s proof that the heart of the cards sided with me to save everyone!”

“I’m impressed. Despite fumbling precious souls, you still managed to bake such self-serving logic.”

“What?”

“Rebecca, he’s just trying to psych you out with his own phony logic!”

“I’m just stating the truth. The heart of the cards will never side with scum. Want to know what I think? Rebecca’s deck is about to send one final prank. This whole duel was nothing but the setup of a cruel joke.”

“Oh…” Rebecca recalled the earlier hostility from Injection Fairy Lily and Fire Princess. Her trembling stopped. Right. Whatever the deck desired, Rebecca deserved. “My turn, draw. I summon Hysteric Fairy (1800ATK). Attack!”

“No!” A fairy dressed in a purple business suit adjusted her glasses, then used her hands to create a hazy ball of magic. She blasted Gamma the Magnet Warrior and Phantom Pharaoh into the Orichalcos wall (200~0LP). Phantom Pharaoh screamed at the sky as he dissolved into mist and the Seal of Orichalcos faded.

“You did it!” said Téa.

Rebecca sank to her knees.

“What’s wrong?” Téa kneeled beside Rebecca, but the girl pushed her.

“You don’t need to fake it for me.”

“I guess you still don’t trust me.” Téa sighed. “Okay. I won’t force myself on you. But if you ever feel scared, please call me.”

“Who would bat an eye if I disappeared?”

“People can be angry and worried at the same time for someone they care about.”

“You figure that how?”

“Well, maybe your grandfather scolded you for running out of sight and causing mischief.”

Rebecca quietly groaned as she recalled the Blue-Eyes White Dragon incident with Yugi’s grandfather. No way did Téa come up with the line by accident. “But you’re not Grandpa. Aren’t we just acquaintances at best?”

“It’s just, I have a lot of feelings on it. Yugi wanted to give you a second chance. And you care for your cards and your grandfather. Deep down, I know you’re a good person.”

“You think so? I don’t regret activating the Seal of Orichalcos. I can kill someone if it means saving Grandpa.”

“Oh…but…even if we disagree on the best course of action, that doesn’t mean you’re evil. When the fake suggested your deck played a cruel joke, I thought you sounded heartbroken. How could you have reacted the way you did without a heart?”

Rebecca studied Téa. Why would a liar put forth this much effort?

Téa blushed, but then she smiled and tilted down her head.

With all this pretend, Téa might as well be the real deal. “Wait, I’ll stay with you.”

“Sure.”

They walked together in silence. Maybe Téa really was the real deal. Maybe Téa might believe in her. “You know…I wish I kept my act together during my duel with Rafael. If I had just honorably accepted my defeat instead of begging Yugi to save me, or trusted my deck…” Rebecca’s voice trailed. Did Téa even care about the thoughts of a brat?

“You wanted to stay true to yourself.”

“Well, what do you know? It’s not like you ever messed up your own life so badly.” Rebecca’s face burned. This was how she repaid someone’s kindness?

“Mind if I share a little story?”

“Do whatever you want.”

“I have a dream to become a dancer. My coach once pulled some strings for me to join a major audition for a famous troupe. Not because I necessarily had a chance, but because important scouts believed in my coach’s reputation for finding upcoming prodigies…until I tripped on the stage.”

Rebecca winced. “Did you recover?”

Téa winked. “My friends gave me encouragement. Even though I’m a klutz called ‘Tripping Téa’ in the dancing world, my friends convinced my coach to stake her reputation on me again. I’m sure you can also make a comeback.”

“If even someone like you…” Rebecca grabbed Téa’s hand. “If you really believe in me, please give me another chance. I promise, I promise to make everything right.”

She hugged Rebecca. “I believe in you.”

~*~*~*~*~

A cloud of fog drifted from the Pharaoh’s mouth and coalesced. “Yugi…?”

Phantom Yugi frowned. “I’m me, of course. But the real question is, who are you?”

“What do you mean?” A sense of dread settled over the Pharaoh.

“The Pharaoh that I remembered was a noble man, one untroubled by anger or hate. But after I lost my soul, you’ve fallen.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I never carry anger or hate in my heart.”

“Take a look in the mirror. Look into my eyes and tell me you don’t resent Rebecca.”

The Pharaoh scowled at the street.

“You can’t, because you only care about your grudge.”

“That’s not true! No matter what, I stand with my allies. I knew from the start that you’re a fake. Your lies won’t cause me to waver.”

Phantom Yugi shrugged. “Sometimes, people don’t realize their true selves until it’s too late. Sure, I’m a fake, but so is your claim to the moral high ground. Right now, you remind me of Kaiba, a man who was bitter with the past. You preached at him to let it go, but you can’t even take your own advice.” He drew the Seal of Orichalcos from his deck.

“Do you intend to challenge me?”

“Unless you want me to hunt your friends.”

“You will do no such thing. Know this: I will prevail, and I will prevail with the heart of the cards.” 

“Without darkness, a person can’t play the Seal of Orichalcos. But I took this form by borrowing the darkness in your heart. You won’t escape yourself, hypocrite.”

“I’ll prove my heart here and now!”

““Duel!””

“I’ll start,” said Phantom Yugi. “I activate the Seal of Orichalcos!”

Once branded, a pillar of green light enveloped him and expanded past the Pharaoh.

“I summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior (1400~1900ATK). That ends my turn.” Magnets and silver rocks self-assembled into a branded little swordsman.

“My turn, draw. I summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior (1800DEF) and end my turn.”

“With such a pitiful defense, you’ll never defeat me. My turn, draw. I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior (1700~2200ATK). Alpha the Magnet Warrior, attack Gamma the Magnet Warrior!” Alpha the Magnet Warrior slashed apart Gamma the Magnet Warrior's arms, then slashed the pink rock body. “Beta the Magnet Warrior, direct attack!”

When Beta the Magnet Warrior stabbed the Pharaoh with a magnet, a jolt zapped his stomach. He doubled over (4000~1800LP).

“Next, I activate Graceful Charity to draw three and discard two. One of the cards I discarded was my own copy of Gamma the Magnet Warrior, so I activate Silent Doom. This lets me revive a monster without a special ability from my Graveyard in DEF position. Return, Gamma the Magnet Warrior (1800DEF).”

“Already!?”

“Magnet Warriors, combine. I summon Valkyrion the Magna Warrior (3500~4000ATK)!”

Whether because of the direct attack or the new magnet rock angel, the Pharaoh had yet to regain his breath.

“I end my turn. If you can’t come up with a better defense, then this duel is over.”

“My turn.” The Pharaoh gazed at his deck. Unlike a certain brat, he trusted in the cards to not fail him. “Draw! I set the card I drew and summon Queen’s Knight (1600DEF).” Queen’s Knight crouched behind her shield. “I end my turn.”

“Your defense is even worse than before. My turn, draw. I summon King’s Knight (1600~2100ATK).” A golden-bearded branded knight equipped with golden card-themed armor drew his sword. “King outranks Queen. King's Knight, attack Queen's Knight.”

She blocked one slash but staggered. King's Knight struck her with his second blow. “Time to end you with Valkyrion the Magna Warrior.”

“When my monster is destroyed by battle, I can activate my Trap, Soul Rope. This lets me summon a low-level monster from my deck by paying 1000LP (1800~800LP); I summon Obnoxious Celtic Guardian (1200DEF).” Obnoxious Celtic Guardian grinded his sword against Valkyrion the Magna Warrior’s slash. “You know that monsters with 1900ATK or more can’t defeat him in battle.”

“Vivian easily found a way around him, and I will too. I end my turn.”

“My turn. Draw! I activate Monster Reborn to revive Queen’s Knight (1500ATK). I also summon my own King’s Knight (1600ATK). Since I have both Queen’s Knight and King’s Knight, I can summon Jack’s Knight (1900ATK) from my deck. And now that they’re together, I activate Polymerization. I fuse my three knights together to create Arcana Knight Joker (3800ATK)!” The Pharaoh’s King’s Knight and Jack’s Knight stood next to Queen’s Knight. They blurred together into a long purple-haired knight equipped with diamond-studded black armor. “Arcana Knight Joker, attack King’s Knight!”

Phantom Yugi’s King’s Knight could do nothing but parry. Even so, Arcana Knight Joker found an opening and struck him (4000~2300LP).

“I set a card and end my turn.”

“You have a strong monster, but the Seal of Orichalcos decided the difference between our monsters’ strength. My turn, draw. Ready for a clash between titans? Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, attack Arcana Knight Joker!”

“I activate my Trap, Ambush Shield. I tribute Obnoxious Celtic Guardian to increase Arcana Knight Joker’s strength by the former’s DEF (3800~5000ATK) until the end of this turn. Counterattack!” Valkyrion the Magna Warrior and Arcana Knight Joker swung their swords. However, the card knight glowed and the elf swordsman faded. As Arcana Knight Joker’s speed increased, Valkyrion the Magna Warrior shifted stance to block the attacks. But the speed created an opening. Arcana Knight Joker shattered Valkyrion the Magna Warrior with a mighty slash (2200~1200LP). “You’re wide open.”

“Don’t celebrate just yet. I set a card and end my turn, so your Arcana Knight Joker returns to normal (5000~3800ATK).”

“My turn, draw. Arcana Knight Joker, direct attack!”

“I activate my Trap, Mirror Force!”

The Pharaoh grimaced as Arcana Knight Joker swung into a flat translucent panel. When the panel glowed, Arcana Knight Joker screamed as multiple slash wounds covered him. “I summon Kuriboh (200DEF), set a card, and end my turn.” A brown little furball with green stubby limbs and yellow wide eyes hovered in the air.

“My turn. Draw! I activate Dark Magic Curtain. By paying half my LP (1300~650LP), I can summon a Dark Magic user from my hand or deck. Watch as Dark Magician (2500~3000ATK) appears straight from my deck.”

“Dark Magic Curtain’s effect also applies to me. I pay half my LP (800~400LP) to summon my own Dark Magician (2500ATK) from my deck.” A skeletal piece unveiled its blue curtains to a pair of mages. The Pharaoh’s Dark Magician glared at the branded mirror of himself, who countered with a sneer.

“The Seal of Orichalcos makes my Dark Magician superior. And once my attack goes through, you lose. Dark Magician, attack his Dark Magician. Dark Magic Attack!”

“I activate my facedown Quick-Play Spell, Magical Hats!” Large black top hats covered the Pharaoh’s Dark Magician and Kuriboh. Both hats duplicated, just in time for an electrical black orb to disintegrate a hat with the furball.

“You can’t hide forever. I end my turn.”

“My turn, draw.” Buster Blader, the high-level dragon slayer, was no good. “I end my turn.”

“My turn, draw. I activate Awakening from Beyond. You draw two cards, and I add a monster from my Graveyard to my hand. I add Beta the Magnet Warrior.”

“When drawn by card effect, Watapon can summon itself (300DEF).” A smiling pink ball of cotton bounced next to the hats.

“I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior (1700~2200ATK). I’ve got two shots on three hats, so here goes. Beta the Magnet Warrior, attack one of the hats!” Beta the Magnet Warrior punched through an empty hat. Pharaoh begged fate to let his own Dark Magician survive. “Dark Magician, attack another hat!”

An electrical black orb disintegrated one of the hats. The Pharaoh’s Dark Magician screamed and the last empty hat faded. “No! My Dark Magician!”

“Too bad. I end my turn.”

“My turn, draw. I tribute Watapon to summon Dark Magician Girl (1700DEF).” Dark Magician Girl crouched and glared at the enemy Dark Magician, who licked his lips. “I set a card and end my turn.”

“My turn, draw. I tribute Beta the Magnet Warrior to summon Archfiend of Gilfer (2200~2700ATK).” Red wings spread from a branded blue man-demon. “A clash of magicians should be fun. Dark Magician, attack. Dark Magic Attack!”

Dark Magician grinned as he aimed his staff and fired. Dark Magician Girl pressed her hands over her mouth as an electrical black orb disintegrated her.

“It’s not over!” said the Pharaoh. “I activate my Trap, Rope of Life! By discarding my hand, my monster that was defeated in battle can return even stronger. Return, Dark Magician Girl (2000~2800ATK)!”

A dark hole appeared on the ground and a rope dropped into it. Dark Magician Girl held the rope as it raised her.

“One copy of Dark Magician is in the Graveyard, so Dark Magician Girl can inherit his power.” She covered her heart and glowed (2800~3100ATK).

“Hmph. Archfiend of Gilfer, attack!”

“Counterattack with Dark Burning Attack!”

Archfiend of Gilfer dived from the air but disintegrated after contact with Dark Magician Girl’s electrical red orb (650~250LP). However, a white plasma continued the dive. Dark Magician Girl braced herself, but the white plasma merged into her.

“When my Archfiend of Gilfer was sent to the Graveyard, a curse befell Dark Magician Girl (3100~2600ATK). Now that my Dark Magician still reigns supreme, I end my turn.”

“My turn. Draw! I activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards.” Neither card could defeat Dark Magician. “I set a card and end my turn.”

Phantom Yugi snickered, but then he clutched his chest and wheezed.

“What happened?”

“Did you know? Another phantom like me went after Rebecca.”

“What!?”

“Unfortunately, it was destroyed when the girl won their duel.”

The Pharaoh sighed.

“Are you relieved? Or disappointed?”

“Why would I not be relieved?”

“You’re only relieved because Téa would’ve been in danger in the case of a loss. But what if Rebecca was alone and Téa was with you?”

“Of course, I’d still…” But his heart raced. He wondered how the brat might have suffered. Wait, no!

“At the least, you wouldn’t care. But I think we both know what you truly want.”

“Enough! Stop this meaningless mind game and take your turn!” Dark Magician Girl frowned and put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

“My turn, draw. I equip Dark Magician with the Equip Spell, Magic Formula.” A thick tome hovered in front of Dark Magician. He flipped through its pages (3000~3500ATK). “Dark Magic Attack!”

“I activate my facedown Quick-Play Spell, Magical Pigeon. This will make a spellcaster of my choice invulnerable from your cards this turn by transforming her into a pigeon.” Another black top hat appeared, but it was upside-down. Dark Magician Girl leapt into the hat, then flew out as a white pigeon. After the electrical black orb missed, the pigeon returned into the hat, then twirled out as her human form.

“You’re just delaying the inevitable. I end my turn.”

The Pharaoh gazed at his deck. If he harbored hard feelings for Rebecca, then did his bond with the heart of the cards collapse? He looked at Dark Magician Girl.

She smiled.

“My turn. Draw! I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior (1700ATK). And finally, I activate the Equip Spell, United We Stand.”

“United We Stand!?”

“I equip it to Dark Magician Girl, which strengthens her by 800ATK per monster I control (2600~4200ATK). Dark Magician Girl, attack! Dark Burning Attack!” Dark Magician Girl and Dark Magician fired their electrical orbs. Beta the Magnet Warrior charged her attack with a stream of electricity. Dark Magician Girl's electrical orb consumed his attack, then expanded and disintegrated Dark Magician (250~0LP).

Phantom Yugi shielded his face and screamed. “Search…search inside your Millennium Puzzle!” He dissolved into mist and the Seal of Orichalcos faded.


	6. Wheeler Reunion

“Need a sling?” asked Joey. “Dey’re not chasin’ us, so let’s pull over and get dat arm sorted.”

“What are you, a doctor?” Mai parked with her good arm.

Once they got out, Joey offered his jacket as she cradled her other arm. “A street fighter. Learned a lot about dealin’ with injuries after a fight. Use one sleeve like normal, put da other arm’s elbow into da other sleeve, and button up.”

“If you would help me…”

Joey stretched open his jacket. Mai put her good arm through a sleeve and the elbow of her other arm into the other sleeve, then held her forearm between the jacket’s lining. He buttoned the jacket partway as he breathed in her lavender perfume.

“Thank you.”

“No problem. How about takin’ a breather while Tristan drives? I’m gettin’ nervous watchin’ ya drive with one arm.”

“Drive MY car?”

Tristan patted the hood. “I handled a bunch of rides before the law allowed me.”

“Da car’s in good hands.”

She sighed and handed Tristan the keys. They finished their drive along Domino Pier to the farthest storehouse. It was well-lit with an open garage.

Tristan parked. “They’re clearly expecting us. Again. Are we in for another fight?”

“I doubt it,” said Mai. “Unless Valon planned on his trap failing, he wouldn’t hold a mob in reserve.”

They walked inside. A wall of crates blocked most of the view, but Joey noticed a gap between the crates and storehouse wall. If this place was supposed to be another trap for another fight, then this chokepoint made no sense. “We’re probably safe. But dis is still Keith. I’m takin’ a look.”

He crept to the chokepoint, then peered around the corner. A girl, younger than him by a couple years with brown hair that reached past her pink short jacket, sat upright on a folding chair with her hands folded.

“Serenity!”

“Joey!?” They sprinted to each other with wide arms. She buried her head into his chest, and they hugged. He refused to let the world pry her apart.

Mai placed her hand on her hip and smiled. “Something good finally happened for once.”

Tristan nodded as he covered his face with a hand. “I’m so relieved. We’re all safe.”

“Oh? What’s with you?”

“N-Nothing.”

“Mai and Tristan are also here? Thank you for helping my big brother.”

“Hey sis,” asked Joey. “Where’s mom?”

“…Home.”

“Dat’s…great, right?”

Deep laughter echoed throughout the storehouse. “You wish, dweeb.”

If Serenity was one of Joey’s greatest joys, then that man was one of his greatest angers. Joey tightened his hug on Serenity. “Where are ya, Keith?”

On the wall behind the chair was a projector screen that had a camera mounted on top. The projector screen flicked on to an unshaven man in shades with an American flag bandanna that covered his blond hair. He sat with his arms draped wide on a futon, and the heel of his boots propped on a short-legged table.

“Wait, dat room…” Joey remembered it from a video that Serenity sneaked to him.

Keith guffawed. “Home, sweet home.”

“Beat it, scum!”

“Is that how you treat your guests?”

“You’re not a guest of my family.”

“Watch your tone.” Keith whistled to someone off-screen and patted the futon.

A familiar older lady with bushy brown hair sat handcuffed next to Keith. Her face, brown turtle-collared sweater, and long skirt were unscathed. “You’re terrible.”

“This guy,” said Mai.

“Yeah,” said Tristan. “They don’t get any worse than Keith.”

Keith smirked and yanked her arm. “C’mon old lady, it’s a Wheeler reunion.”

Joey growled. “Get away from mom!”

Ms. Wheeler gasped. “Joey!? Serenity!?”

“We’re missing people,” said Keith. “Where’s Valon and his crew?”

“Dey tried ta kill us in another storehouse, but we kicked’em out of da picture.”

Keith’s mouth dropped, but then he grinned. “Serves that killjoy bastard right. It would’ve been a shame to cancel tonight’s show.”

“What show?”

“Were you two that busy lusting for each other? Check under her chair.”

“Joey,” said Serenity. “Could you please excuse me for a moment?”

“What’s wrong?”

After one more tight squeeze with her brother, Serenity kneeled in front of her chair. She slid a bracelet made of little green gems onto her wrist and attached a green duel disk onto her arm.

“Not this getup,” said Tristan.

“Is Keith serious?” asked Mai.

Joey glared at Keith. “Explain yourself!”

“Originally, Valon and I agreed to kidnap your family. But while I wanted to stage this duel, he wanted you to trade your soul for their freedom. That’s boring. If he tried that, then I promised to murder his hostages and walk out. I thought that cowed him, but he still must’ve tried to pull a fast one. Well, thanks for kicking his butt for me. Time to start my revenge for Duelist Kingdom.”

Ms. Wheeler stared at Keith. “You kidnapped my daughter and handcuffed me…over a card game!?”

“I made more money playing this damn card game than you ever made in your sorry life. But your amateur son dragged my name through the mud and stole my prize money.”

“I won dat fair and square from your cheatin’ hands for a good cause: Serenity’s eye surgery.”

“No wonder she’s trying to dive into your pants.”

“Leave her alone! Why not ask for a duel like a normal person?”

“Because I make it a point to get even. And revenge is a dish best served with a side of irony.”

“What makes ya think I’m duelin’ my sis?”

Ms. Wheeler flinched when Keith patted her shoulder. “Dweeb, this is a no-brainer. Maybe even you can figure this out.”

“Joey,” said Serenity. “Shouldn’t we oblige Mr. Howard and duel? It’s just a card game, right?”

“Hey sis, did anyone give ya some sort of card with a green circle?”

“I know he added some cards to my deck. Let’s see…” Serenity thumbed through the deck until she held it up. “This one? Isn't it called the Seal of Orichalcos?”

Joey’s stomach dropped. “Yeah.”

“He said I have to play this card if I drew it while dueling you.”

“Know what it does?”

“I don’t know what language it’s in, but he said it’s a powerup.”

“And?”

“Huh?”

“Figures. Skipped over da most important part.”

“What do you mean? What’s going on?”

“Serenity,” said Mai. “Do you remember when your brother and I ended up in comas during Battle City? This card causes the same thing.”

Serenity’s eyes widened and her hand trembled.

“It gets worse,” said Joey.

“How?” asked Serenity.

“It does?” asked Mai.

“Mai, I know Viv was your friend, so I didn’t want ta mention dis, but da Seal of Orichalcos makes ya rotten like Keith and Valon.”

“Right,” said Tristan. “Vivian didn’t want to duel Yugi. She even showed sympathy when the thugs injured the grandfather of her rival. But the Seal of Orichalcos squashed her heart.”

Mai bowed her head.

“Dat’s why we can’t just duel. I don’t want ya gettin’ hurt or turnin’ into a monster.”

“But what about mom?”

“We can’t even trust Keith!”

“Hey dweeb, this duel is just a little entertainment. With your luck, I wouldn’t be surprised if she never draws the damn thing. I’ll tell you what: if this duel ends without the Seal of Orichalcos killing someone, then hand the card to me so that I can beat you on the head with it myself. I need to teach you that your victory was nothing but a freak accident.”

“So, let’s duel,” said Serenity. “Let’s bet on the chance that I don’t draw it.”

Joey recalled Valon’s words about how the Seal of Orichalcos always made itself known. “Sis, gamblin’ doesn’t suit ya. Our old man was done in da same way. I’m afraid of what’ll happen.”

Serenity nodded. “But I’m willing to bet my life to save mom.”

He sighed. Maybe Valon was wrong. “Alright. Let’s do dis.”

““Duel!””

“Be careful, sis.”

“I’ll be fine. After watching you in Battle City, I wanted to play Duel Monsters as a hobby. Actually, I was hoping for the chance to duel my big brother.”

“After mom is safe and dis is all over, let’s play for fun.”

“I’d like that.” Serenity switched to a game face. “I’ll go first. I summon Amazoness Paladin (1700ATK). She gets stronger for every Amazoness I control (1700~1800ATK). I end my turn.”

“Amazoness?” A hooded warrior lady of the dark-skinned Amazoness tribe wielded a long sword.

“Good archetype,” said Mai.

“Thanks! I picked the Amazoness because they’re strong like Joey and graceful like you.”

“I can give you a couple pointers once this is all over. You’ll be crushing Joey all day.”

Serenity grinned.

“Givin’ her weird ideas. My turn, draw. I summon Axe Raider (1700ATK), set a card, and end my turn.” A warrior, with gold-red chest armor and a purple skirt, wielded a golden axe.

“My turn, draw. I summon Amazoness Fighter (1500ATK).” This Amazoness raised her fists. She had black hair in a ponytail and larger muscles. Amazoness Paladin nodded to her fellow tribemate (1800~1900ATK). “Amazoness Paladin, attack!”

“I activate my Trap, Kunai with Chain.” No need for its effect to switch the battle position of the Amazoness. “It’ll boost Axe Warrior’s strength (1700~2200ATK). Counterattack!”

Amazoness Paladin charged, but Axe Raider slung his new weapon around the sword to prevent her from raising it. Axe Raider swung his axe into Amazoness Paladin’s shoulder (4000~3700LP).

“Nice move, Joey.”

“Don’t praise him,” said Keith. “Do you need an x-ray to see through such an obvious trap? You better take this seriously if you know what’s good for your old lady.”

Her expression did not crack. “I’m sorry, Mr. Howard. Sometimes, my big brother bluffs.”

“Tch. I think you're the one who's bluffing, but I’ll let it slide.”

“Thank you. I end my turn.”

“My turn, draw. I summon Alligator Sword (1500ATK). Axe Raider, attack!” A bipedal alligator wielded a cutlass. Axe Raider swung his axe into Amazoness Fighter’s shoulder, but she shoved Axe Raider. “What happened?”

“Amazoness Fighter has great resilience, so I don’t take LP damage even if she’s defeated.”

Joey looked at Alligator Sword.

“What’s wrong? Why aren’t you attacking?”

“It’s just…attackin’ my sis is…”

Serenity punched the air. “I’m not so fragile. This is nothing!”

Joey took a deep breath. “Here goes. Alligator Sword, direct attack!”

She braced with her duel disk when Alligator Sword swung the cutlass (3700~2200LP).

“You okay?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine! Please don’t worry so much.”

“Alright. I end my turn.”

“My turn, draw. I summon Amazoness Sage (1400ATK) and equip her with the Equip Spell, Amazoness Heirloom.” An Amazoness with blue hair wore a cape and wielded a slim wooden staff. A pendant featuring a little totem with a green gem appeared on her chest. “Amazoness Sage, attack Alligator Sword!”

“Counterattack!” Her staff and pendant glowed when Alligator Sword charged. He slashed Amazoness Sage on the shoulder (2200~2100LP), but her wound flickered out like a candle. Alligator Sword flickered out of existence, along with Axe Raider’s Kunai with Chain (2200~1700ATK). “What happened? I won dat fight, right?”

“Amazoness Heirloom lets my Amazoness survive a battle once per turn. If my Amazoness was the attacker, then it also lets her destroy the monster she battled.”

“But how does dat rope in Axe Raider?”

“Whenever Amazoness Sage attacks and survives, her magic can destroy one Spell or Trap. I end my turn.”

“My turn, draw. I summon Goblin Attack Force (2300ATK). Attack Amazoness Sage!”

A horde of green goblins with leather armor and clubs formed a circle around Amazoness Sage. She gripped her staff and steeled herself as the goblins beat her with their clubs (2100~1200LP), but Amazoness Heirloom and its wearer glowed. The goblins gave up and took a nap (0DEF).

“Now’s your chance, Axe Raider. Attack!” Axe Raider chopped her staff and shoved Amazoness Sage to the ground (1200~900LP). “How’s dat?”

“That’s my big brother for you.”

Keith yawned. “Sometimes, the real thing is a letdown from the imagination.”

“My sis and I are duelin’ for ya, aren’t we? Zip it.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep my end of the bargain. If she doesn’t draw it, then I’ll play it myself. At least our rematch should be more interesting than this garbage you call a duel.”

“Find some real entertainment. Serenity, just relax and try ta finish dis.”

“Yeah. My turn. Draw!” Her eyes widened.

Keith grinned. “Wheeler luck.”

Joey’s gut ached. “Sis, please don’t tell me…”

Serenity shook her head and flipped the card. Of all the cards she could have drawn, why!?

“What’s the holdup, dweeb? Play the Seal of Orichalcos, or else.”

“Leave her alone! Dis is between you and me, Keith.”

“Hey Joey, if you get on your hands and knees and lick the floor, then maybe I’ll reconsider.”

“He’s lying,” said Mai. “Everyone here knows it!”

“Mai’s right,” said Tristan “Keith just wants to get under your skin.”

“I know,” said Joey. He got on his hands and knees like a dog on the cold smooth concrete. “But if da odds are even one percent, den I have ta try.”

Pride and revulsion restrained his tongue as Joey put his face a tongue's length above floor. He reminded himself that this was to save his family from a tragedy. Joey licked the floor, then grimaced from the floor’s tastelessness. Serenity covered her mouth.

Keith guffawed. “You actually did it! Tell me how the floor tastes! Watching you humiliate yourself almost makes up for stealing my prize money!”

Joey wiped his mouth. “Let my family go. Please.”

“Let me think…” Keith scratched his neck in an exaggerated fashion before he flashed a thumbs down. “Nah. Why waste good entertainment? I want to watch you and your girlfriend kill each other.”

“Isn’t this enough?” asked Mai. “It’s one thing if you two hate each other, but at least have the decency not to harm innocent bystanders.”

“I don’t care if innocent bystanders get hurt, but I do care that you guys seem to be stalling. Stop wasting my time, or else I’ll pop the old lady’s head.”

Ms. Wheeler gulped and Serenity closed her eyes.

“But why?” asked Tristan. “I thought you wanted a duel to teach Joey a lesson. You won’t get a rematch if you harm their mother.”

“You’re missing the point, dweeb. They agreed to play a duel under my conditions. But if they run from the Seal of Orichalcos after Serenity drew it, then they’re cowards. Rubbing that fact in your faces is much more satisfying than winning a measly rematch.”

“Ridiculous,” said Mai. “You’re sticking them in this impossible situation and calling it a victory?”

“Call it whatever you want, but I’ll be happy to make peace with what I see. Of course, you guys probably won’t be happy to see the old lady in pieces.”

Serenity opened her eyes. “I’ll play it.”

“Sis, no!”

“Your brother’s right,” said Ms. Wheeler. “I don’t fully understand what’s going on, but I know that this man wants to make you two hurt each other. As your parent, I won’t allow my children to suffer.”

“I hate this,” said Mai. “But I think Joey and Ms. Wheeler are right This could easily turn into a catastrophe.”

Serenity shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I want to save our whole family.”

“Sis…”

“You’re always there for me, Joey. Everyone thought it was impossible to afford my eye surgery, but you found the money. Everyone thinks I’ll be in a coma, but I know you’ll wake me.”

Joey gulped. He had the choice to restrain Serenity and stop the Seal of Orichalcos, or reflect Serenity’s confidence and vow to return her soul. Let Ms. Wheeler die and sadden Serenity, or embark on an impossible quest?

“Serenity,” said Tristan. “You’ve got Joey’s bravery, and that might be what saves everyone, but are you okay with the Seal of Orichalcos turning you into a monster?”

“Maybe you can all pretend that the evil me is someone else. Even though I’ll probably say some cruel words, I won’t mind. Everyone here knows that my true self wouldn’t mean them.”

Tristan bowed his head. “I’m not comfortable with it. But if that’s your choice, then I promise not to forget the real you.”

“Thank you, Tristan.”

“But da Seal of Orichalcos just isn’t da answer!”

“She’s old enough to make her own decision.”

“We know,” said Mai. “But Serenity is taking such a dangerous leap of faith, it’s like she got her brain from Joey. For all we know, the Seal of Orichalcos is the worst possible decision. Anyone would fret.”

Serenity smiled. “I appreciate your concern, Mai. If you have a better idea, then please suggest an alternate plan to save everyone.”

Mai shut her eyes and gripped her head. “That’s…”

“I have to go all-in. And with my big brother on our side, I know the odds are in our favor.”

“Sis, wait!”

“I activate the Seal of Orichalcos!”

Was this a green-tinted dream? Joey pinched himself as the pillar of green light expanded. The Seal of Orichalcos still covered the field and branded his sister. He prayed that it would somehow spare her personality.

“Finally!” said Keith. “Hey dweeb, what’s it like to play the Seal of Orichalcos?”

“Mr. Howard, would you be so kind as to shut up?”

“Come again?” When Keith yanked Ms. Wheeler’s hair, the old lady yelped. “A few more words like that, and I might fly off the handle.”

“The one who will kill Ms. Wheeler is me.”

Her words sent a shiver down Joey’s spine. Ms. Wheeler stared with her mouth open.

“If you get in my way, then I’ll kill you.”

“What’s goin’ on, sis? Is this a bluff?”

Serenity smiled. With her thumb, she drew a line across her throat. “There’s no need to keep up the pretense that we care about her. When I get out of here and pay Ms. Wheeler a visit, I promise to take your revenge for you. Please consider it my parting thank-you gift for taking care of me until now.”

“My revenge?”

Ms. Wheeler lurched to her feet. “Serenity? What’s gotten into you?”

“Nothing that wasn’t already inside me. For too long, I suppressed these memories.”

“Memories?”

Serenity pointed at Ms. Wheeler. “Don’t you dare play dumb! You abandoned Joey!”

~*~*~*~*~

_Little Joey sprinted the moment he leapt down the bus steps that afternoon in the city. How could his old man get drunk instead of attending today’s custody hearing at the courthouse!? The time was an hour past the start. Part of him said this was hopeless. His mother and sister might be long gone. The only thought that kept Little Joey sane was the chance, however slim, to ensure he and his sister stayed together._

_He had to stop at the intersection of a broken streetlight. The crossing guard told pedestrians to stop._

_A salaryman chuckled. “I saw you sprinting. Are you in a hurry?”_

_Little Joey nodded._

_“Luck isn’t on your side today. Probably another five minutes before we get to cross.”_

_“Five minutes!?”_

_“Main street’s turn at rush hour.”_

_He saw the crossing guard wave the cars. The wheels just rolled, but they had yet to pick up speed. Seize the chance! Little Joey sprinted and checked for accelerating cars._

_The crossing guard did a double take. “Hey. HEY!” He blocked Little Joey’s path._

_Little Joey grimaced and shoved the crossing guard, who fell to the street, then continued the race. Almost across! The last car’s driver gasped, who then slammed the breaks and lurched forward. The wheels squealed but spared Little Joey. The driver slammed the horn for a long honk. But there was no accident and everyone would surely get over it. Thank you, little miracle._

_The courthouse was in sight. Wait, that old rusty car in front was familiar…and were those next to it his mother and sister? Little Joey rubbed his eyes. They were! He waved his arms. “Mom! Serenity!”_

_Little Serenity went from gloom to grin, but Ms. Wheeler shook her head._

_“I made it! I can’t believe it! I made it on time!” The two siblings hugged._

_“My big brother’s here!”_

_Ms. Wheeler stood with her hands on her hips. “Serenity, get away from him.”_

_“But I don’t want to!”_

_Little Joey resisted the urge to glare. “Let’s not upset mom.”_

_Little Serenity held tight. “Okay…”_

_“Mom, I’m not late, right?”_

_“The hearing was over and we were getting ready to leave. Unfortunately, we had a delay in the paperwork. Where is your father?”_

_“He was drinkin’. I had ta come by myself.”_

_“Why am I not surprised? He wasn’t even sober for our wedding.”_

_“What happened at da hearing?”_

_“Nobody contested, so our living arrangements have been confirmed. Serenity and I will live together permanently; you’ll continue living with your father. There is to be no contact."_

_Stupid adult world. “But why?”_

_“Don’t ‘why’ me. We know you’re nothing but a bad influence, always getting into trouble as often as your father is drunk. Just the other day, I heard from the principal that you were hanging out with the bullies again.”_

_Little Joey flinched. In fact, he promised those same bullies to take care of some ‘business’ in exchange for today’s bus fare. “But who’s takin’ care of Serenity? You’re always workin’! She’ll be lonely without me!”_

_“Serenity will adjust and find some friends. Better friends.”_

_“She needs me by her side!”_

_“You and your father are the last people she needs by her side!”_

_“Ms. Wheeler?” A man in black robes held a manila folder. “I apologize for the delay. Your documents are ready.”_

_“Thank you.”_

_The man glanced at Little Joey. “Who might you be?”_

_“I’m da son, Joey Wheeler! Is da hearing already over?”_

_“Afraid so. I was the judge who officiated the hearing. Did you come here alone?”_

_“Yeah. My old man was drinkin’, but I gotta stick by my sis. Can’t ya do somethin’ for us, sir?”_

_“Hmm…”_

_Ms. Wheeler threw her hands into the air. “The hearing is over and everything is signed.”_

_Little Serenity stepped in front of Little Joey. “Can’t we redo the hearing?”_

_The comment earned her a scowl. “A few pleas won’t overturn the long disciplinary record following Joey.”_

_“Maybe,” said the judge. “But Joey has a case for extenuating circumstances. The court prefers to keep siblings together, especially when they’re fond of each other, with a responsible parent. Perhaps…”_

_The siblings held hands and raised them._

_“I cannot raise Serenity with that little criminal!”_

_“There you are!” The crossing guard’s shout froze Little Joey. “Wait, are you this crazy kid’s mother?”_

_“…Yes. What happened?”_

_“It’s my lucky day.” The crossing guard sprinted to the group. He scribbled on a little pad, ripped the sheet, then handed it to Ms. Wheeler. “He pushed me on the street while I was directing traffic.”_

_She read it, then glared at Little Joey. “Joseph Wheeler, have some shame!”_

_“But mom, dis was an emergency!”_

_“It’s a miracle that you didn’t create a serious wreck! Someone could have died! I was right; you’re nothing but a bad influence on Serenity.”_

_“I’ll excuse myself,” said the judge._

_Ms. Wheeler grabbed Little Serenity’s hand. “We’re leaving. Now.”_

_Little Serenity dug her heels. “No! I don’t want to go without Joey!”_

_“You wouldn’t be throwing a fit in public if it wasn’t for Joey.”_

_“No, I…” Little Serenity glanced at the judge’s frown, then covered her mouth. “I…I’m sorry, mom.”_

_Little Joey followed the judge. “But I thought da court would take me into consideration!”_

_“You have a short period of time to return with your lawyer and file an appeal.”_

_“A lawyer? I barely afforded da bus fare! Please wait, sir!”_

_The car doors shut and the engine rumbled. Little Joey turned to catch sight of Ms. Wheeler’s car as it picked up speed. Little Serenity’s hands and face pressed against the back window as her tears streamed._

_“Serenity!” Little Joey stretched his hand and sprinted after the car until it faded into the distance._

~*~*~*~*~

“Joey!” Mai and Tristan’s voices?

“Huh?”

“Are you okay?” asked Mai.

“You look terrible,” said Tristan.

Joey wiped his face on his sleeve. “I’m fine.”

“I misjudged Joey,” said Ms. Wheeler. “What happened back then was a mistake. Serenity, I just wanted to protect you.”

“By separating me from the one person I needed?”

“I didn't know! I wish I could find a way to properly apologize.”

“You knew perfectly well! If you want to apologize, then apologize during your final breaths.”

Keith ribbed Ms. Wheeler and smirked. “You can’t even raise one kid without having her hate your guts. Sure, I’ll leave you at the dweeb’s mercy.”

“Nobody’s dyin’ on my watch.”

“Look at yourself!” said Serenity. “Look at your face! For years, even up until you paid for my eye surgery, Ms. Wheeler thought you were human trash. You can’t deny your resentment!”

“We were dealt bad hands. Dat doesn’t excuse mom, but I know she still loves us.”

“Do you tell yourself that lie to sleep at night?”

“But you believed it too. Before da Seal of Orichalcos, you went all-in ta protect mom.”

Ms. Wheeler clasped her hands. “Joey, please save Serenity.”

“I’ll save her. Dat’s what big brothers are for.”

“I’ll save myself! It’s still my turn. I summon Amazoness Trainee (1500~2000ATK).” A young branded Amazoness with gray hair wielded a golden whip-like chain, which had a spike on each end. Serenity pointed at Axe Raider. “You’ve been a thorn in my side this whole duel. Amazoness Trainee, attack!”

Amazoness Trainee whipped her chain, snared the axe, then flicked it to the side. Cracks echoed as she whipped Axe Raider (4000~3700LP).

“Amazoness Trainee grows more confident in her skills with each enemy she defeats (2000~2200ATK). I set a card and end my turn.”

Joey looked into Serenity’s eyes. Her expression was colder than some violent gangsters. He hated the thought of fighting his sister, but he also hated the thought of Ms. Wheeler suffering harm.

“Joey,” said Tristan. “Do what you need to do.”

“Yeah,” said Mai. “We’re right behind you.”

He nodded. “My turn, draw. Goblin Attack Force is still snoozin’. But I can summon Little Winguard (1800DEF) and end my turn.” A little knight, equipped with wing-themed turquoise armor and blue cape, held a little shield.

“My turn, draw. I summon Amazoness Chain Master (1500~2000ATK).” An older branded Amazoness Trainee wielded a longer chain equipped with a multi-pronged spike. “Attack the Goblin Attack Force and Little Winguard.”

Amazoness Chain Master slung and wrapped her chain around a goblin, then swung him into the other goblins. Amazoness Trainee whipped her chains, which snapped Little Winguard's shield, then whipped the little knight (2200~2400ATK).

“You’re against the wall. I end my turn.”

“I’ll draw an out, just watch. My turn. Draw! Yes! First, I activate Silent Doom ta revive Axe Raider (1150DEF). Since I just summoned a monster, I can activate my Quick-Play Spell, Take Over, ta tribute Axe Raider and summon another monster of da same type.” Gilford the Lightning, who had a destructive ability if Joey used three monsters as tribute for the summon, was a Warrior-type like Axe Raider. However, now was no time for luxury. “I summon Gilford the Lightning (2800ATK). Attack Amazoness Trainee!”

Axe Raider reappeared and crouched. He glowed and transformed into a muscular swordsman who wore silver armor, an orange cape, and an orange skirt. When Gilford the Lightning drew his two-handed sword and charged, Amazoness Trainee whipped her chain. However, when the chain wrapped around the sword, Gilford the Lightning yanked. Her own chain dragged Amazoness Trainee within range of her opponent. He slashed her (900~500LP).

“I set a card and end my turn.”

“My turn, draw.” Serenity used several seconds to look at the cards in her hand, Joey’s set card, and Joey himself. The card she drew stayed in her hand. “I activate Amazoness Spellcaster. This switches the original ATK of one Amazoness I control and one monster you control.”

Their two warriors glowed. While Amazoness Chain Master stretched her chain (2000~3300ATK), Gilford the Lightning kneeled (2800~1500ATK).

“Attack!”

“I activate my Trap, Skull Dice! Dis divides da stats of a monster by da number rolled.” When Amazoness Chain Master’s chain wrapped around Gilford the Lightning’s sword, a little black imp dropped an orange die.

“I knew it. I activate my Trap, Dramatic Rescue. If my monster is about to fall into a Trap, this lets me negate it by switching her with another monster in my hand. I summon Amazoness Swordswoman (1500~2000ATK).” The die landed on six. Gilford the Lightning reeled Amazoness Chain Master, but another branded Amazoness, this one with red hair, parried his attack with a scimitar. Amazoness Chain Master retreated into the shadows. Amazoness Swordswoman engaged in a brief swordplay, where she slashed Gilford the Lightning’s neck (3700~3200LP). “I end my turn. You’re back to where you started.”

“My turn. Draw! Luck, don’t fail me now. I activate Roll ‘n’ Boost. If I lost LP during my opponent’s last turn, dis modifies da level of one monster in my hand into da number rolled. And my monster…”

“That’s…Red-Eyes Black Dragon?”

“Here goes.” All eyes were on the die. His soul and his mother’s life were no better than a two-in-three chance, but those odds were nothing compared to other tight spots. “One! I summon da ‘low-level’ Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400ATK)!”

Serenity gritted her teeth while the dragon roared. “Your luck is incredible.”

“Hey dweeb,” said Keith. “I feel your pain.”

Tristan and Mai exhaled.

“Attack with Inferno Fire Blast!”

Red-Eyes Black Dragon spat multiple fireballs. Most of them connected and set Amazoness Swordswoman on fire, but she deflected back one fireball with her sword.

Joey blocked the fireball with his duel disk (3200~2800LP). “What happened?”

“Amazoness Swordswoman’s determination to fight back forces you to take any battle damage instead of me.”

“I end my turn.”

“My turn, draw. I set the card I drew and re-summon Amazoness Chain Master (1500~2000ATK). I end my turn.”

“My turn, draw. I activate Roll of Fate. I roll a die, den we both draw based on da number rolled.…four. Next, I summon Swordsman of Landstar (500ATK).” A short marshmallow man wielded a short sword. “Let’s go. Red-Eyes Black Dragon, attack with Inferno Fire Blast!”

“I activate my Trap, Kunai with Chain.”

“You too?”

Amazoness Chain Master equipped herself with another chain (2000~2500ATK). She slung the new chain, which wrapped shut the mouth of Red-Eyes Black Dragon, then whipped with the other chain. The sound of the chain cracks covered Red-Eyes Black Dragon’s groan (2800~2700LP).

“Argh, it’s not over yet. I attack with Swordsman of Landstar and activate da Quick-Play Spell, Graceful Dice! Dis multiplies a monster with 500ATK monster or less by da number rolled.” A little fairy with a pink top hat dropped a blue die, which landed on five. “Swordsman of Landstar is five times stronger (500~2500ATK). Here’s our chance!”

Swordsman of Landstar slashed her at the same time that Amazoness Chain Master whipped him. “But you’re wide open. I hope you’re ready.”

“I set a card and end my turn.”

“My turn, draw. I summon Amazoness Archer (1400~1900ATK). Direct attack!” A branded red-eyed archer with a black short jacket fired an arrow. Joey saw the arrow, but his reflexes were more sluggish than usual. He covered a stabbing pain on his chest where the arrow struck him (2700~800LP). “I set a card and end my turn.”

“My turn.” Joey closed his eyes asked his deck to hear the prayers of everyone.

“You even look like a degenerate gambler. At this point, it’s hopeless.”

“Nothin’ is hopeless when I have da heart of da cards with me. Draw! I summon Blue Flame Swordsman (1800ATK).”

“He’s too weak.”

“Not when, I equip him with da Equip Spell, Lightning Blade (1800~2600ATK).” A muscular swordsman equipped with blue armor wielded a burning blue sword, and another sword that crackled with electricity. Joey took a deep breath. If this attack succeeded, then Serenity would lose the rest of her LP. “Blue Flame Swordsman, attack! Elemental Swords of Battle!”

“I activate my Trap, Amazoness Archers. These archers support the Amazoness by weakening your monsters.” A line of archers fired arrows into Blue Flame Swordsman, who grunted and slowed (2600~2100ATK). He slashed the bow from Amazoness Archer’s hands with the burning sword and slashed her with the electrical sword (500~300LP). Serenity smirked. “Nice combo. It almost won, but your attack is over. Ever heard of Shield & Sword?”

“I might have a copy.”

“On my turn, I’ll weaken Blue Flame Swordsman with Shield & Sword to swap that scary ATK stat with his weaker DEF stat. It’s over.”

“Yeah…right now. I activate my Trap, Relentless Attacks. Since Blue Flame Swordsman inflicted battle damage, he immediately gets to make another attack.”

“What!?”

“Sis, I’m so sorry. Blue Flame Swordsman, direct attack!”

She yelped as Blue Flame Swordsman’s cross-slash dropped Serenity to her hands and knees (300~0LP). The Seal of Orichalcos zapped her.

“Serenity!” Joey sprinted to her. He tried to grab his sister, but Joey grunted as the green bolts stung and repelled him. “Just sit tight. I promise I’ll find a way ta get ya out!”

“Why?”

“Are we speakin’ different languages? You’re my sister!” The zapping stopped, but she collapsed unconscious. Joey scooped Serenity into his arms as the Seal of Orichalcos faded and hugged her. Was she in the Orichalcos soul prison card? Underneath the Seal of Orichalcos was the back of her head.

Please come back! As he thought those words, the world faded to black. Joey found himself in a dark void where the only feature was the Orichalcos pillar of green light. Something felt wrong with this place, as if he walked into a den of gangsters. But his sister sat curled inside the pillar.

“Serenity!”

She raised her head, then lowered it when she saw him.

Joey squashed his face against the Orichalcos wall. “Ser-en-it-y!”

Serenity raised her head again. This time, she giggled.

“I’ll get ya out.”

“You’re too kind.”

“Feelin’ guilty over da Orichalcos mojo? We know dat’s not da real you.”

“Maybe I didn’t act like the normal me, but that anger really was the real me. Those times when I wished for Ms. Wheeler to experience my pain, and force her to understand that I suffered because you weren’t with me…I didn’t realize the Seal of Orichalcos would cause those feelings to surface.”

“Serenity…”

“If I had won…” She buried her face into her hands. “Maybe I deserve to be here.”

“Literally not one person wants ya here.”

“Even though I threatened to murder?”

“We all know you’re not evil.” Joey pressed a hand on the Orichalcos wall again; it was spongier to the touch. He pressed harder, but the Orichalcos wall budged no more. “I can prove it to ya. Give me a chance, and I’ll gather everyone here. I just need a little more time.”

“Please come back soon.”

As the Orichalcos soul prison world brightened into the storehouse, Keith clapped. “That duel was a pretty good show. Maybe entertainment is your true calling.”

Joey bared his teeth. “Knock it off!”

“Still in the mood for a beating? Sure. Bring me your sister’s card, and I’ll wager it for our rematch.”

“I’m not handin’ ya her soul.”

“You will, if you want me to release your old lady. And because I’m nice, I’ll even offer a certain ‘bonus’ prize if you win. Look forward to it.” The projector flicked off.

“Joey,” said Mai. She and Tristan stood next to him. “We’ll support you.”

“Right,” said Tristan. “You’ll see your sister again in no time.”

Joey smiled. “Thanks. You guys are da best. Actually, I managed ta talk with Serenity.”

“You did?” asked Mai. “How? What did she say?”

“How was she?” asked Tristan.

“I just held da card and it happened. She’s feelin’ in da dumps. But I want ta gather ya both and mom together. Maybe all of us talkin’ with Serenity can set her free.”

“Really?” asked Mai. “As in, actually getting her out of the card? Your think it’s that easy?”

“Just a hunch.” Joey looked at his sister, then the blank screen where Keith and Ms. Wheeler used to be. “If Keith wants another L, I’ll give him one. Let’s get him.”


End file.
